The behind-the-scenes tech that helped Nicolo Bulega to WorldSBK dominance

Nicolo Bulega’s 2026 WorldSBK season has been one of pure dominance, but behind a great rider is a great team, and in the present day that great team must rely on powerful technology.

Thirty WorldSBK races have been run in 2026 and 26 of those have been won by Bulega. 

The Italian came into the season with a four-race winning run, so by winning every race in the first seven rounds Bulega was able to extend that streak out to 25 races – 12 better than the previous record set by Toprak Razgatlioglu – before he was stopped.

Bulega’s streak was ended by his Aruba.it Racing Ducati team-mate Iker Lecuona when he won Race 1 at Donington.

That Donington weekend saw Ducati crowned manufacturers’ champions, while the Aruba.it Racing factory squad became teams’ champions. A couple of months later and Bulega is officially riders’ champion, while Lecuona is nailed on for second place thanks to a 200-point lead over Yari Montella in third.

Lecuona was new to Ducati this year, and struggled a little at the season opener in Phillip Island; Bulega was dominant, but the Spaniard was the slowest Ducati rider in Superpole and didn’t feature on the podium.

But since round two at Portimao Lecuona has been second in every race bar five: the four races he’s won, plus his crash from the lead in the Donington Superpole Race.

It means that no WorldSBK team has had any of its bikes finish ahead of either the factory Ducatis since February, over half-a-year ago.

That domination is powered not only by the riders but also by the bike, of course. The new-for-2026 Ducati Panigale V4 R has proven unstoppable in WorldSBK this year, winning every race. It’s also taken 83 of 90 podium positions in 2026, including every single top-three place since Race 2 at the Hungarian Round.

Ducati riders hold seven of the first 10 positions in the riders’ standings, as well as five of the first six and all of the first three. The aforementioned Montella helped his Barni Spark team to the independent teams’ title at Cremona, where Bulega won the riders’ crown.

But among so many Ducatis it’s the factory team that stands out, thanks to its greater engineering resources compared to independent outfits, as well as important technical partnerships like that it has with Lenovo, which supplies its ThinkPad P1 laptops and ThinkSystem SE350 servers to help process and analyse as much as 40gb of data generated by the bikes of Bulega and Lecuona each weekend.

“This extraordinary Triple Crown [teams’, manufacturers’, riders’ titles] is the result of exceptional talent, determination and teamwork performed at the highest level,” said Enza Truzzolillo, managing director general manager of Lenovo Italy.

“We are proud that Lenovo’s technology has supported Aruba.it Racing Ducati throughout the season, helping the team make faster, more informed decisions in an environment where every detail can make a difference. 

“This achievement highlights the value of a partnership built on innovation, excellence and a  shared commitment to performance. 

“Congratulations to Nicolo Bulega and the entire team on a truly historic accomplishment.”

Aruba.it Racing Ducati team principal Stefano Cecconi added: “It’s been a great season and to top it off with the Triple Crown is a fantastic result for everyone involved. 

“A special thanks to our partner Lenovo and everyone behind the scenes who has contributed to such a successful season. 

“The WorldSBK championship is demanding not just for the riders and team but also for the technology we rely on. 

“That’s why we look to Lenovo to provide high-performance solutions that are reliable and able to perform in tough environments, anywhere in the world.”