Aruba.it Ducati announces the departure of Nicolò Bulega (26)

Only a disaster could now prevent Nicolò Bulega from winning the 2026 Superbike World Championship title. The 26-year-old has won every Superpole this year, as well as 26 out of 27 races, and leads the overall standings by a commanding margin of 146 points ahead of his Aruba.it Ducati team-mate Iker Lecuona.

Bulega moved from Moto2 to Ducati in the Supersport World Championship in 2022, winning the title in his second year. It is therefore fair to say that the Italian has achieved everything there is to achieve in the paddock of the production-based world championship.

Regular readers of SPEEDWEEK.com have known for months that Bulega is being prepared for the move to MotoGP. The 46-time Superbike winner is involved in the test programme for the 850cc Desmosedici and will make his debut with the VR46 customer team in 2027. However, official confirmation is still pending.

What has been confirmed since Wednesday morning, however, is his departure from Aruba.it Ducati. This was announced by the Superbike works team.

“When we chose Nicolò, we knew we were investing in a young rider with great talent, but our journey together has repeatedly exceeded our expectations,” said Aruba.it boss Stefano Cecconi. “We are particularly proud of his development, as it confirms the team’s philosophy: a belief in hard work, in rider development and in the ability to achieve significant results step by step. Nicolò has integrated exceptionally well into the team and has become part of our sporting family. Through his professionalism and respect, he has earned the trust and affection of everyone. We will always be grateful to him and will always be cheering him on. Before that, however, there is still a mission to fulfil so that we can celebrate this wonderful adventure in the best possible way.”