Nicolo Bulega would never have got his Ducati MotoGP chance without Valentino Rossi

Add as preferred source on Google

Nicolo Bulega will make his MotoGP debut for Ducati at the Portuguese Grand Prix next weekend. Bulega is filling in for the injured Marc Marquez at the final two rounds of the season.

Bulega’s opportunity comes after he finished runner-up to 2026 Pramac signing Toprak Razgatlioglu in the World Superbikes championship. The Italian has won 20 of his 72 races in the series, scoring 56 podiums.

Bulega tested Ducati’s MotoGP bike at Jerez this week and the team were encouraged by his lap times. They’d already signed him as a test rider for next year, keen to utilise his experience on Pirelli tyres as the Michelin era nears its end.

He spent four seasons in Moto3 and three in Moto2 between 2015 and 2021 without making a breakthrough. After resurrecting his career in WSBK, he gets another chance in Grand Prix racing.

Nicolo Bulega’s manager credits Valentino Rossi for believing in his talent

Bulega won the Moto3 Junior title in 2015, representing the VR46 academy. As his current manager, Alberto Martinelli, told GPOne, Valentino Rossi was ‘among the first’ to spot the Emilia-Romagna native.

He continued with VR46 for the next four years in the lightweight and intermediate classes, but his 99 starts only delivered two podium finishes. He left for the Supersport world championship, with his 2023 title win opening up a Ducati WSBK seat.

Martinelli says Bulega lost his motivation after his MotoGP dreams faded. But he’s now regained his focus and energy.

• READ MORE: How Nicolo Bulega’s lap times in Ducati MotoGP test at Jerez compare to Francesco Bagnaia

“Valentino is a champion, and his eye has always been unimpeachable,” he said. “In fact, he was among the first to believe in Nicolo’s talent.

“In my opinion, we’ve recuperated a champion who, today, has a light in his eyes. I remember the time he was sad, unmotivated while now, he’s a beacon.

“In these years, he has also grown on the human side, becoming a man, without too many distractions in his head.”

Nicolo Bulega firmly denied he had a rift with Valentino Rossi

Bulega left the academy at the end of 2019 after struggling with the step-up to Moto2. He spent the next two campaigns at Gresini.

This inevitably led to speculation that he had fallen out with Rossi. But he shot that theory down in a 2024 interview with GPOne.

“On social media, people write many wrong things, which have nothing to do with it,” he said. “People don’t know the background, but I can say that I have a great relationship with Valentino Rossi.”

Given that VR46 are a Ducati satellite team, one wonders if Rossi could offer Bulega a route onto the 2027 MotoGP grid. That, of course, would rely on him passing his upcoming audition and impressing in his 2026 testing programme.

However, VR46 are focused on signing Pedro Acosta, and Bulega may feel that his professional relationship with Rossi has already come to a natural conclusion.