VR46, Bulega reassures Valentino Rossi: "This time, no more mistakes

Nicolò Bulega has wrapped up the Superbike world title, crowning himself world champion in Cremona. Now it’s already time to think about the next adventure in MotoGP, where from 2027 he will wear the colors of Valentino Rossi’s Ducati VR46 team. For the almost 27-year-old rider from Emilia, it’s a return to his roots...

For Bulega, signing with Valentino Rossi’s team carries truly special meaning. And not only because the Doctor has been one of his idols since childhood. For Nicolò it feels like coming home, to the people who helped him make his World Championship debut in 2015-2016. Those were the years of the Sky Racing Team VR46, with Romano Fenati and Andrea Migno as teammates. "Vale has always been my idol," recalls the WorldSBK champion to MotoGP.com’s microphones. The rider even has "a photo from my first day of school where I’m carrying Valentino’s backpack."

Years later, he joined the VR46 Academy and from there made the leap to Moto3. "Honestly, it was incredible. They gave me the opportunity to start my career in Moto3, and coming back here with them feels like the circle is complete." His talent was evident from a very young age. "I won my first championship at 7 years old. In every category I raced, I was always very fast. Everyone said: here’s the new Valentino, he’ll soon win many titles."

A burden of pressure too heavy to bear at a young age and without the necessary experience. "When you’re 15 or 16, you can’t handle all that pressure. Then I started having tough times. I wasn’t in a good moment in my life or my career, and the results weren’t coming. You start overthinking: maybe I’m not a good rider anymore, maybe my team doesn’t believe in me."

Leaving the Academy was a hard blow; at the end of 2021 he left the World Championship after three rather lackluster seasons in Moto2. "It was a rough period for me. I didn’t really know what I needed to do to become a better rider." And when his manager suggested moving to Supersport, he wasn’t convinced. "I wasn’t very happy about it. When you leave Moto2 and go to Supersport, 99.9% of the time you don’t come back."

In hindsight, Bulega made the best choice for his career. "Starting from zero, changing everything in my life wasn’t easy. But honestly it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life and career. It brought back my smile and the chance to have fun on the bike," continued the rider from Emilia.

In 2023 he won the Supersport championship, in 2024 he debuted in WorldSBK finishing second in the overall standings. It’s tough to get the better of Toprak Razgatlioglu, and he has to settle for being vice-champion in 2025 as well. This year, at last, the world title arrived, dominating far and wide with Ducati. And he earned a promotion to MotoGP starting next year, with a two-year contract alongside VR46. "When you compete at a high level in a sport, pressure is always there. I’ve always experienced it in my life, but the difference lies in how you manage it. This time I won’t repeat the mistakes I made at 15 or 16."

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