ROSSI URGES NEW WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPION BULEGA TO FOCUS ON WHAT COMES NEXT

Nicolo Bulega’s dominant WorldSBK season has delivered a title and a step up to MotoGP in 2027. The Ducati rider secured the championship at Cremona in front of his home crowd, with two rounds still to run. He won all but four races and finished second in each of the others.

After the title win, Valentino Rossi congratulated Bulega on his work and urged him to turn his attention to what comes next. “He congratulated me on the work I’d done,” Bulega recalled. “Now I should think about the tasks ahead.”

That advice comes as Bulega prepares to join Rossi’s VR46 Ducati team for his first MotoGP season. He was previously part of the VR46 Riders’ Academy, before moving into the WorldSBK paddock in 2022. Ducati also signed him as a test rider for its 850cc project this year. Although that role was initially seen as a route to a 2027 race seat, Bulega’s place on the grid was uncertain at one point during the rider market. He will now make the move after his championship-winning campaign.

Bulega has been tipped by some riders to adapt quickly, with the possibility of challenging for wins early on. But he is wary of carrying his WorldSBK expectations into a different championship. He said the experience of treating second place as a disappointment had taken him mentally into “a realm that isn’t real” — a mindset he does not expect to transfer to MotoGP.

“Next year, I certainly won’t be seeing my name in first place all the time,” he said. “I’ll go into the season with a different mindset. This will be my first year in MotoGP; I still have a lot to learn, and the level is incredibly high.”

The Italian said he has no particular expectations for his debut season, recalling that he approached his first WorldSBK campaign in the same way. His focus, he explained, will be on working hard, paying attention to detail and improving steadily: “I’ll work hard, give my all, stay focused, work diligently on the details, and try to get closer to the top with every race.”