Nicolo Bulega says he could have been the top Ducati at the Valencia test without one problem

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If Nicolo Bulega had been able to spend more time on Ducati’s bike before being picked to replace Marc Marquez, he might have been a lot quicker.

At least, that’s what MotoGP’s post-season test at Valencia suggests, as the Italian finished the day in the top 10, following a late soft tyre run.

In fact, since Ducati’s superstar rider went down injured not long after winning a seventh title in Indonesia, only one man has scored points for the factory team.

Although it may not be a lot, Bulega has done more for them than Francesco Bagnaia over the last few weeks, which would have been surprising entering that stretch.

Danilo Petrucci thinks Bulega is equal to Toprak Razgatlioglu, who will be making the full-time switch from World Superbikes to MotoGP for 2026. The two have been close rivals for some time.

After struggling on debut, Davide Tardozzi told Bulega to ‘stay calm’, and reminded him that not everything comes instantly. It was always going to take time to adjust.

READ MORE: Nicolo Bulega’s MotoGP debut was even better than it looked as surprising Ducati data emerges

Nicolo Bulega thinks that two tenths cost him the chance to be Ducati’s top rider at Valencia test

Bulega couldn’t ‘enjoy’ replacing Marquez early on, because so much of his time was spent adapting to a new bike and avoiding crashing it.

According to Andrea Dovizioso, Bulega was right to risk the ‘worst thing’ by gambling with his future and make a bold move to the premier class.

It might have helped to earn him some more opportunities in the future, with Luigi Dall’Igna now set to decide when he will test in 2026.

Despite finishing eighth in the post-season test, he wasn’t satisfied and believes that two tenths were left on the table, quick enough to push him to third overall, and fastest of the Ducati riders.

“For me, this was a great test, and I had a fixed program,” Bulega told SPEEDWEEK. “Due to the conditions, we couldn’t test in the morning, but in the afternoon, I was able to ride without stress, talk to my team, and make some progress.

“Towards the end of the day, I was significantly faster and had much more confidence in the bike. My time is quite good, although I made a mistake on my best lap – I could have been two-tenths of a second faster. I’m slowly getting a feel for the MotoGP machine and, like everyone else, I used a soft rear tyre.”

READ MORE: Nicolo Bulega reveals how Toprak Razgatlioglu’s move to MotoGP has changed his future career plans

Why Nicolo Bulega can be a potent MotoGP weapon for Ducati in the future

Now that Bulega has proven himself to be capable on a MotoGP bike, he gives Ducati a very useful tool for the future.

If either of their riders go down injured or are unable to participate for whatever reason, they can call upon someone who has some idea of what they’re doing.

That experience could be vital for them, but it also carries development advantages, too, with someone else able to chip in with their thoughts.

Bulega was told he had to have fun, and it looks as though he did over the last few weeks. If anything, he may be disappointed that it didn’t last any longer, even though he’s off to put his feet up for a while, now.