Gigi Dall’Igna keen to credit Ducati after Nicolo Bulega wins WorldSBK title

Nicolo Bulega’s WorldSBK title is a crowning moment not only for the man himself but also for his bike, the undefeated Ducati Panigale V4 R.

Bulega himself has been undeniably excellent in the 2026 WorldSBK season. After 30 races, he has nine poles out of 10, 26 race wins, no DNFs, and 30 podiums. He hasn’t finished outside the top-two all season, indeed not since 2024 in dry races.

At the same time, the bike he’s ridden, the 2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R, has taken WorldSBK to a different level of performance. It has won all 30 races, every podium position since Race 2 at the Hungarian Round in May, and holds the first three positions in the riders’ standings – and seven of the first 10.

As a result, while Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna praised Bulega after he won the title, the Italian engineer also wanted to make sure bike got the credit it deserves.

“I’m really proud about Nicolo’s [Bulega] job this year, but also about all the people that worked on this bike: the teams, the guys that worked at Borgo Panigale,” Dall’Igna told WorldSBK.com after Race 2 at Cremona.

“Everybody did an amazing job and I’m really proud for them.”

Dall’Igna added: “He [Bulega] won almost all the races of the 2026 season, so for sure he did an unbelievable job. 

“But for sure also the bike performed very well because the bike, it’s won all the races and all the teams that use this bike did a fantastic result this season. I’m really proud about that.”

Bulega finished second in all three races at Cremona as he sought to bring home the title with minimal risk. But the Panigale V4 R still won on each occasion in the hands of Iker Lecuona, who also took pole position.

Lecuona himself was also full of praise for Bulega after Race 2 at Cremona, the Spaniard admitting his MotoGP-bound team-mate has been “perfect every race” in 2026.