Nicolo Bulega “mentally free” after clinching WorldSBK title but missing “10 per cent”
Nicolo Bulega says he’s still not at 100 per cent of his capabilities despite being “mentally free” at the Estoril WorldSBK.
Nicolo Bulega is still searching for “10 per cent” of his capability at the Estoril WorldSBK despite topping both Friday practices.
Bulega was ahead of Alberto Surra and Iker Lecuona in both practices on day one at Estoril.
The second Portuguese round of the season is also the first round since Bulega clinched the 2026 WorldSBK title at Cremona two weeks ago.
That Cremona round was the first of the season that didn’t see Bulega finish on the top step as he cruised to three second places in order to secure the title.
With the mental baggage of the championship left in the past, Bulega is operating with the kind of “mental freedom” he had at the beginning of the season when he won the first 21 races in a row.
“Cremona Friday I had two crashes,” Nicolo Bulega told WorldSBK.com after FP2 in Estoril.
“Normally I’m not a rider that crashes a lot, so for sure Friday in Cremona was difficult, there was a lot of stress for the weekend because I needed to win the championship there at home.
“But now I’m mentally free, so I’m just ready to race.”
Bulega added that he’s feeling “like before Cremona, honestly. I was mentally free before, just Cremona was a bit of a different weekend, let’s say. But now it’s done and I can ride like I want.”
Thinking about Estoril, the Italian says that he is still not operating at his maximum.
“I needed to have my good feeling back, so I’m quite happy about today,” he said.
“I missed the last 10 per cent to be at 100 per cent, but I’m okay.”
When asked what he’s missing, Bulega replied: “Just small details, a bit on the braking and a bit of turning. At some points I’m not relaxed at 100 per cent, so I need the last 10 per cent.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
