Ducati will introduce a new face to the MotoGP grid at the upcoming Portuguese Grand Prix, as Nicolo Bulega makes his long-awaited debut in the premier class.
The move comes as Ducati continues to fill the gap left by Marc Marquez, who remains sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury. After using Michele Pirro for the Australian and Malaysian rounds, Ducati has now chosen Bulega — its rising World Superbike star — to step in for the final two races of the 2025 season.
A former VR46 Academy protege, Bulega’s early Moto2 and Moto3 stints didn’t quite deliver on his promise. However, a switch to World Supersport reignited his career, where he became world champion in 2023, before moving to World Superbikes with Ducati in 2024 and finishing runner-up in the past two seasons.
Now set to ride the GP25 at Portimao, Bulega’s MotoGP debut is seen as a key step toward his potential full-time move to MotoGP in 2027, when he’s expected to join Ducati’s testing and development program.
In this week’s Crash MotoGP Podcast, the team explores what to expect from Bulega’s debut — his learning curve, his test laps at Jerez, and how he’ll adapt to Marc Marquez’s race-winning bike.
