English
Italiano
The Superbike rider market has one certainty: all the contracts of the top riders are going to expire at the end of the season, so as a result it will be necessary to rediscuss them for the coming year. This is the case for Toprak, as well as Bautista, Rea, Iannone, Petrucci and Nicolò Bulega, just to name a few.
Speaking of Bulega, since he arrived in SBK the Aruba rider has achieved results above all expectations. In 2024 he was world championship runner-up, even doing better than Bautista, while this year he started off with a trio of wins, dominating all three races in Australia.
Nicolò's performance is there for all to see, and as a result he is one of the most courted riders in the paddock. Precisely for this reason, Ducati and Aruba would like to finalize the agreement for 2026 as well, settling the matter early.
Bulega's goal is to stay in red next year as well, because the atmosphere in the team is great, plus Aruba has become a sort of second home since he joined Cecconi's outfit in 2022. As if that were not enough, next year Ducati will bring the new Panigale V4 to the track and everyone is curious to try it.
Precisely for this reason, Alberto Martinelli (Nicolò's manager) will be present at Portimao over the weekend to deepen the talks related to the contract renewal of his client. The priority is that of a tweak of the salary, given the results achieved in the last season and the current one, thus coming into line with that of his teammate, namely Alvaro Bautista.
Then, to be understood, there is the matter of contract duration, whether on a one-year basis, keeping an option for the second, or two years outright. Here, this is a key issue, which needs to be explored. Why? As we all know, 2027 will represent a turning point for MotoGP: there will be in fact the transition to 800cc engines, furthermore Pirelli will take over from Michelin.
The arrival of the Italian manufacturer might represent a no small assist for Nicolò, who in recent years has shown great confidence in the tyres of the Milan-based manufacturer. No point in beating about the bush: in his heart Bulega still aspires to go to MotoGP and, should there be a chance, 2027 becomes a sort of crossroads for his career, that is, a chance to be seized, considering among other things his young age (25).
For sure, the right solution will be needed with a solid and ambitious project, because going there just to make up the numbers on the MotoGP grid does not interest Nicolò in the least.
So it is clear that the evolution of the situation with the renewal of Bulega represents one of the issues that will accompany us towards this second WSBK round at Portimao.
