A long-time colleague on Bulega’s GP career: “He wasn’t ready back then”

Nicolo Bulega is currently making history in the Superbike World Championship. The Ducati factory rider has won all 21 races of the season so far and is well on his way to securing the first World Championship title of his career. At the same time, the Italian is regarded as the most promising candidate for a move to MotoGP for the 2027 season and is virtually certain to be Fermin Aldeguer’s team-mate at VR46.

An official confirmation is expected. As an official Ducati test rider, Bulega is already working on the new 850cc machine, which is set to make its debut in 2027. Should the move actually go ahead, Ducati would lose its currently outstanding rider in the Superbike World Championship. A rider who, having failed to make his mark in Moto2, switched to the Supersport World Championship and was rebuilt from scratch within the Aruba family.

Long-time colleague Nieto confirms Bulega’s strong development

For VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto, Bulega’s return to the premier class would certainly come as no surprise. Nieto knows the Italian like few others do. Together they won the Spanish Championship, after which the VR46 team looked after Bulega in Moto3 and Moto2. Even back then, Nieto recognised his extraordinary talent.

“We worked with Nicolo when he was still very young,” Nieto recalled in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “We set up a team especially for him for the Spanish Championship and he won the title with us. After that, he joined us in Moto3. We were already aware of his great talent back then.”

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Foto: Gold & Goose

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Nevertheless, Bulega’s career in the Grand Prix classes was initially disappointing. After a few promising performances, the big breakthrough failed to materialise, before he ventured a fresh start in the Supersport World Championship and subsequently developed into one of the world’s strongest Superbike riders.

“I think he simply wasn’t ready for that level back then,” said Nieto. “He’s now made a huge leap forward in the Superbike World Championship. The talent was always there. Today, he’s a very good rider.”

The enormous pressure of expectation threw Bulega off course

Bulega himself regularly emphasises that he is a different person and rider today than he was during his time in Moto2. Back then, he suffered under the enormous pressure of expectation. Nieto considers this development understandable.

“That may well be the case,” he said, referring to the high expectations that surrounded Bulega even as a teenager. “I remember that he was already fighting for a podium place in his first two races. That automatically creates high expectations. Sometimes we, too, make the mistake of immediately declaring young riders to be the next big star.”

That is precisely why Nieto urges more patience when dealing with young talent. “We need to stay calm when it comes to young riders. It’s extremely difficult to achieve something great in this paddock. In the end, only a few riders are ever in contention for the World Championship title. But Nicolo has the potential for great success. Perhaps one day he’ll make it here too.”

Pablo Nieto mit Nicolò Bulega

Foto: SKY VR46

Nieto sees parallels with Fabio Quartararo. The Frenchman was also regarded as an exceptional talent from an early age, but fell short of expectations in the lower Grand Prix classes and only went on to become world champion in MotoGP.

“That sort of thing happens sometimes,” explained Nieto. “Quartararo didn’t have an outstanding Moto2 season either. He was incredibly fast in Moto3, but it was only in MotoGP that he was able to realise his full potential. It also depends on a rider’s characteristics. Some simply feel more at home on a big bike.” He cited Jack Miller, who moved straight from Moto3 to MotoGP, as another example.

When asked whether Bulega deserved a second chance in MotoGP, Nieto responded with cautious optimism. “That’s a difficult question. The standard in MotoGP gets higher every year. Almost all the riders have been world champions or at least finished in the top three in the lower classes. That’s why it’s going to be very difficult. But if you work hard and have a talent like Nicolo’s – why not?”

There are currently many indications that Bulega might indeed make the leap back into MotoGP in 2027. For Ducati, this would, on the one hand, be a boon for the MotoGP project; on the other, the Superbike team would lose its by far most successful rider. Given his historic dominance and impressive development, it is likely to be anything but easy for the Italians to find an equally capable successor.