It's been quite an exciting week at Ducati Aruba. On Monday, they announced Lecuona as Bautista's replacement for 2026, followed by the last test of this World Championship at the Aragon track.
Regarding what happened these past few days, we intercepted Serafino Foti on his return from Spain after two days at Motorland. We talked with Aruba's team manager about what happened in the market and also the World Championship, which will start again in just over a week at Magny-Cours.
"Right now, I can't say more about Lecuona's contact," he began. "I'm doing it out of respect for Iker and, at the same time, for who he represents. The only thing I can say is that we're happy to have taken on Lecuona. He's a young, strong rider. I think he's the right choice and the best of those that were possible. I can't add more."
Serafino, there were many names among those on the list to replace Bautista. Is that right?
"Yes, we had several opportunities and, in the end, we opted for Lecuona."
There was also Canet, right?
"Confirmed. We talked with Canet, but he preferred to stay in the Moto2, and we respect his decision."
How come you didn't go for on Rea?
"Johnny told Ducati he was availalbe. I think it's useless to deny. We never had any talks with Rea because our strategy was clear, which was to go for someone young. Ducati and Aruba have always had clear ideas and, unfortunately, Johnny didn't fit into the plans."
Yesterday we gave the news of Giulio Nava's probable farewell. Do you confirm that?
"This is confidential news. Consequently, I can't get into it. What I can tell you is that Nava has expressed a willingness to assess other situations but, at the moment, he has a contract for 2026. That's all I can add."
Speaking, instead, about the Aragon tests, Bulega was not 100% satisfied.
"In Aragon, we did a lot of work, where the priority wasn't to seek a time. In fact, we evaluated different components, the tires, and we're satisfied. I think a step forward was made knowing , however, what our opponent is worth, which is Toprak. I'm of the opinion that Bulega will be able to battle it out to the finish, although it's going to be difficult. The first test will be Magny-Cours, and we'll have to be ready."
The problem is that, in this World Championshio challenge, hardly anyone can get between Toprak and Bulega, taking away points...
"True. Certainly, Nicolò can't play in defense because, by remaining on the defensive, the World Championship is already lost at the start. You need to attack where you can, using intelligence, but without making mistakes. We have a lot of confidence in Bulega, and we're convinced he has everything to battle it out to the finish."