Nicolo Bulega explains the ‘difficult’ reason why he isn’t ‘enjoying’ replacing Marc Marquez at Ducati

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Nicolo Bulega suffered his first fall in a MotoGP race as he crashed out of the Sprint at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Bulega is standing in for the injured Marc Marquez for the final two races of the 2025 season. Michele Pirro replaced the Spaniard at Phillip Island and Sepang, but Ducati have afforded the WSBK rider the chance to race in MotoGP ahead of his testing role in 2026.

Having never ridden the GP25 before his test at Jerez last week, Bulega is expecting a ‘difficult weekend’ on his debut at the Portuguese Grand Prix. But the Italian has been setting competitive times from the off.

He challenged for a place in Q2 after missing out on the top 10 in free practice, but he ended up lining his Ducati in 18th on the grid. Bulega outqualified full-time riders Miguel Oliveira and Somkiat Chantra and test rider Lorenzo Savadori.

During the Sprint, Bulega was running 17th in the early stages, but he suffered his first MotoGP accident on lap four. Teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished eighth after suffering traction issues.

Nicolo Bulega is too focused on adapting his riding style to ‘enjoy’ his time in MotoGP with Ducati

Expectations would have been low for the WSBK rider coming into the weekend at Portimao. After all, he is unfamiliar with MotoGP machinery and the Michelin tyre, which is completely different to what he is used to with Pirelli rubber.

Ducati told Bulega to have fun during his time as Marquez’s replacement. But speaking to GPOne after his crash in the Sprint, he says he is not currently enjoying his time in the premier class.

When asked the question, he replied: “Not at the moment, because I have too many things to think about. You really have fun on a motorcycle when you ride free, with your natural riding style.

“Now I’m too focused on what I have to do, and when you ride at this level, it’s difficult. But I’m not worried, it’s normal, everyone comes to MotoGP from Moto2 or some other category, this was my second day in MotoGP, so it’s normal.”

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

Nicolo Bulega has turned heads with his performance compared to Francesco Bagnaia at Portimao

Bulega was two seconds off Bagnaia at Jerez during his test, but that was to be expected, given the differing track conditions and the former’s inexperience. However, he has immediately been on the pace of his teammate at Portimao.

The 26-year-old beat the two-time MotoGP champion in his first practice sessions, going two tenths faster. While it was only FP1, no one in the paddock would have expected the rookie to be ahead of Bagnaia so soon.

MotoGP fans think Luigi Dall’Igna is ‘fed up’ with Bagnaia after cameras caught his reaction to Bulega beating him. The Ducati chief would have wanted to see his experienced rider lead the way.

But Bagnaia has grown into the weekend, going second in free practice and qualifying fourth for the race. But Bulega has been impressive, putting himself in the mix with the field rather than stumbling at the back.