VR46 MANAGER PRAISES DUCATI’S 850CC PACE AFTER MUGELLO PRIVATE TEST

VR46 has reacted to fresh reports from a private 2027 MotoGP test at Mugello, where Ducati’s 850cc prototype pace is said to have stood out. With the current MotoGP class preparing for the British Grand Prix, next year’s 850cc machines completed their own running on Thursday, using Pirelli tyres. While no official lap times were released publicly, GPone.com reported that Nicolo Bulega—set to join Valentino Rossi’s VR46 operation for the 2027 season alongside Fermin Aldeguer from Gresini—was fastest on the day.

According to the reported timesheets, Bulega topped the session by 1.2 seconds over Takaaki Nakagami’s Honda. Lorenzo Savadori’s Aprilia and Dani Pedrosa’s KTM were next in line on the order of pace.

Asked by MotoGP pit lane reporter Jack Appleyard about what the Mugello showing suggests for VR46’s transition into the new 850cc era, VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto said he was encouraged by Ducati’s work. “I'm very happy that [850cc] Ducati is very fast. So this is the most important thing,” Nieto replied. He added that the priority for VR46 is not just speed, but maintaining a familiar working environment as the sport moves into a “new era.” “Because in the end, it's going to be a new era, completely new for everyone,” he said. “But it's very important that we continue in the same range, the same atmosphere. “And at the moment, we have to say that Ducati is doing very good work.”

Nieto’s comments also touched on VR46’s present-day championship fight. Current VR46 rider Fabio di Giannantonio, who is scheduled to move to the factory KTM team for 2027, is starting the second half of the season within striking distance of the lead. Nieto pointed out the tightness of the title picture: “It's very nice that we are fighting for the championship. Five people in 24 points - we know that this is going to be very, very difficult.” He stressed the team’s intention to stay aggressive throughout the remaining rounds: “But the most important thing is that we are protagonists. We will try to fight until the end.”

With the calendar set to include overseas races later, Nieto said VR46 will take the campaign step by step rather than look too far ahead. “You never know what happens, so we have to continue thinking race by race… And then when we get to the overseas races, we will see.”

The manager also addressed di Giannantonio’s recent technical direction, referencing Silverstone practice. After two Sunday accidents at Sachsenring involving the new fairing, di Giannantonio reverted to the older aero package during FP1 at Silverstone. Nieto was asked whether trying the newer aerodynamics in Germany had been a mistake. “Good question, but no. I think sometimes this happens when you have something that is already working - and also the rider sometimes wants to try something else,” he said. “We tried the other aerodynamics, but the difference is just a little bit. So we came back because he feels very good with this fairing, and at the moment, also at this track, he's very, very fast. We think that it's better this one.”

In the same Silverstone FP1 session, di Giannantonio’s teammate Franco Morbidelli—who has been linked with Bulega’s WorldSBK seat—was reported to be ninth on the satellite-spec GP25 machine.