Ducati have told Nicolo Bulega what he ‘has to’ do when he replaces injured Marc Marquez

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Nicolo Bulega will now register his MotoGP debut in the 2025 Portuguese Grand Prix after Ducati announced the Italian as the new injury replacement for Marc Marquez.

The Borgo Panigale crew initially fielded test rider Michele Pirro in place of Marquez after he sustained an injury in the Indonesian Grand Prix. But further tests revealed that the 32-year-old needed an operation to address the coracoid process and ligaments in his right shoulder.

Marquez will miss the rest of the 2025 MotoGP season due to the injury, ruling the Spaniard out of the last two rounds in Portugal and Valencia and the post-season test. So, Ducati have now elected to reward Bulega for his runner-up finish in the World Superbike Championship.

Ducati announced this Friday that Bulega will replace Marquez in Portugal and Valencia after his private test aboard their Desmosedici GP25 at Jerez this Thursday. Bulega wanted to ride Ducati’s MotoGP bike first before deciding whether or not he was ready to replace Marquez.

Ducati have told Nicolo Bulega to have fun during his MotoGP debut as Marc Marquez’s replacement

Bulega set a 1:38.0 lap time at Jerez on Ducati’s MotoGP bike during the private test. He will now stand in for Marquez over the final two rounds of the 2025 MotoGP season at Portimao on November 7-9, as well as at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo for the finale on November 14-16.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Nicolo Bulega from height to career

Ducati do not expect Bulega to deliver ‘special performances’ during his debut appearances in MotoGP in place of Marquez. Instead, Giovanni Zamagni reports that the Bologna Bullets have simply told Bulega to try to enjoy riding the bike on which Marquez won the 2025 title.

Zamagni notes: “Of course, no one is asking him to perform in any particular way. No special performances, no type of result. He just has to try to enjoy himself, if that is possible with a modern MotoGP bike.”

World Superbike runner-up Nicolo Bulega will ride the bike on which Marc Marquez won the 2025 MotoGP title

Marquez won the 2025 MotoGP title, to become a seven-time premier class champion, with a dominant campaign in his first year with the factory Ducati team. The Cervera native lifted the crown at the Japanese Grand Prix during just the 17th round of this year’s scheduled 22.

Following the round at Motegi, Marquez held a 201-point lead over his Gresini star brother Alex Marquez in the riders’ standings, with 541 points playing 340 at the time. Ducati rider Marc had even won 11 of the first 18 Grands Prix held this term, as well as 14 Sprint Races.

Now, Bulega will jump onto Marquez’s Ducati for the Portuguese GP and then the Valencia Grand Prix for his MotoGP debut. The 26-year-old finished second in the World Superbikes standings during the 2024 and 2025 campaigns racing with the factory Ducati WSBK team.

Bulega’s MotoGP debut will no doubt catch Toprak Razgatlioglu’s interest ahead of the 2025 World Superbike champion’s full-time move to the prototype class next season. Razgatlioglu will leave BMW to join Pramac Yamaha, and also leave Bulega as the WSBK champion-elect.