Ducati wants Niccolò Bulega to focus on Pirelli tires and his efforts on the 850cc bike, so why not replace Alex Marquez at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Not riding in place of Michel Pirro Gresini A rider in Balaton Park, many may have thought so. open It will be a natural substitute. He stood in for Marc Marquez in Portimao and Valencia last year and is currently dominating the World Superbikes.
However, the Italian was not selected with his teammate Iker Lecuona replacing Alex Marquez as if Hungarian Grand Prix. It may seem strange, but Ducati Their plans are already lined up for Bulega.
Niccolò Bulegan doesn’t want to be confused with Michelin tires as Ducati focuses on the 2027 850cc bike.
Alongside his WSBK efforts, Bulega has been working as a Ducati MotoGP test rider, focusing on developing an 850cc bike. With low ride height equipment and Pirelli tires, the Borgo Pangale outfit wants to stick with this machine.
The 2026 1000cc bikes and Michelin tires give the Bulega a completely different feel, and Ducati doesn’t want to ‘poison’ its mind when focusing on a completely different machine. It explains why. Takaki Nakagami will not replace Johan Zarco at LCR Honda..
Journalist David Emmett explained the situation Paddock Pass Podcast“So the other thing is you’d expect Bulega to go there, but Bulega is trying the 850.
Should Gresini have brought Niccolò Bulega in place of Alex Marquez for the Hungarian GP?
“So they don’t want to poison Nicolo Bulegan’s mind with the feeling that Michelins want Ducati to focus on 850s and Pirellis.
“It’s the same for Taka Nakagami. That’s why Nakagami won’t replace (Zarco). I mean, obviously, Aleix Espargaro is injured and he’s going to be out for a long time, but Taka Nakagami’s career is the 850s.
“So he’s testing the 850s. He’s using Pirellis. They don’t want to put him on Michelin again and confuse him with feedback. It makes it very complicated in terms of replacement riders this year.”
Read more: Everything you need to know about Niccolò Bulega from height to career
Niccolò Bulega rejected Grecini’s offer to replace Alex Marquez.
Bulega revealed that he was offered the ride at Balaton Park by Gresini, but decided to focus on WSBK.
He said, through the verses Crash: “I had the opportunity to ride in place of Alex Marquez in Balaton in MotoGP, but I decided to focus on WorldSBK. Now is not the time to take any risks.”
Which series will benefit more from Nicolo Bulega’s move: MotoGP or Superbikes?
Bulega ran away with this year’s WCSB Championship.
Ducati in 2010 It seems they have no intention of letting Bulega ride in 2026. They want him to focus entirely on his ownership in WSBK and move to MotoGP in 2027.
Bulega seems to be joining the VR46 Next season, and so testing with Ducati on an 850cc bike will put him in a strong position for 2027.
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