Marco Bezzecchi
Nicolo Bulega will be replacing the injury-stricken Marc Marquez this weekend at the Portuguese Grand Prix, and has given a rather blunt answer regarding any advice that the Spaniard may have given him.
The Ducati World Superbikes star will be making his debut at a MotoGP race weekend after the 2025 title-winner was ruled out of a number of races following the broken collarbone he sustained in Indonesia.
Michele Pirro took the reins of Marquez’s GP25 at the first two race weekends that Marquez was absent for, and the duties have now fallen to Bulega following the conclusion of the WSBK season.
Having requested a test atop the prototype ahead of taking up the role, Bulega set a 1:38.0 lap time at Jerez. The effort was considerably slower than Francesco Bagnaia’s qualifying time from the Spanish Grand Prix, which was to be expected given the circumstances of the test.
Nicolo Bulega is expecting a ‘difficult weekend’ for his MotoGP debut with Ducati at Portimao
In his Thursday afternoon media duties with journalists in the Portuguese Algarve, Bulega fielded a number of questions regarding his debut in the premier class with Ducati.
One of the questions that cropped up was whether the Italian rider had any communication with Marquez ahead of his maiden entry.
The Ducati World Superbikes star bluntly replied, via Diario AS, “No.”
Moving on in the questions, Bulega was also asked whether he saw the possibility of taking over the reins of Marquez’s GP25 after seeing the news that he would be sidelined.
Bulega replied, “No, because when I saw the crash, I wasn’t thinking about this option since I was focused on my championship. I saw the crash, but at that moment I was only thinking about winning the SBK title, even though it’s very difficult.
“Then, I had the opportunity to go to Malaysia, but honestly, I asked Ducati if there was a possibility of doing a test with the bike beforehand, because MotoGP isn’t SBK and it’s not easy.
“The chassis is completely different, the engine is faster, it has carbon brakes, a device, Michelin tyres… They’re small things that all together add up to a lot.
“I had bad luck at the Jerez test because it was raining the first day, and it’s hard for it to dry there.
“On the second day, there were wet patches everywhere, and I only did 30 laps, so you can’t really understand much in 30 laps. We’re sure to have a difficult weekend here.”
READ MORE: Nicolo Bulega would never have got his Ducati MotoGP chance without Valentino Rossi
Michelin chief’s verdict on the ‘technical challenge’ of the Portimao circuit won’t help Nicolo Bulega’s chances
As alluded to by Bulega, he will be racing with Michelin tyres as opposed to the Pirelli rubber that is utilised in WSBK.
If that wasn’t a big enough change already, Michelin chief Piero Taramasso has highlighted how the nature of the Portimao circuit serves as a serious ‘technical challenge’ for the tyres that are being used.
He said, via GPOne, “We’re going to Portimao with great confidence and motivation. It’s the second-to-last round of the season, right before the Valencia finale, and, although the 2025 titles have already been awarded, our concentration remains absolute.
“Portimao is a spectacular and demanding circuit that’s very popular with the riders, but it’s a real technical challenge for the tyres.
“It has it all, steep downhill braking, fast and smooth corners, blind acceleration zones, and sections where traction is critical. You need a tyre that can do it all and do it consistently, without compromise.”
The change in tyre compound is one of the reasons why Toprak Razgatlioglu is expected to struggle during his maiden season in MotoGP.
However, the category is switching tyre suppliers to Pirelli for the 2027 campaign, and Razgatlioglu is expected to cause trouble once the new regulations come into effect.
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