The 2024 WorldSBK season noticed Nicolo Bulega emerge as one of many collection standout abilities in his rookie 12 months, giving him an elevated worth that he needs to leverage.
After ending second within the World Championship final season, Bulega’s clear sporting goal for 2025 is to go one step higher and win the world title, defeating Toprak Razgatlioglu.
Nevertheless – in line with the Italian publication GPOne, who spoke to Bulega’s supervisor, Alberto Martinelli, on the Monza Rally Present at the start of December – the Italian can be searching for larger phrases in his contract with the manufacturing facility Ducati crew.
In essence, Bulega – whose present Ducati deal expires on the finish of this 12 months – needs a rise in his wage, one thing reflective of his transition from promising rookie to race winner and championship contender.
Bulega having calls for of Ducati means he’ll probably look to different producers to fill them, too, though GPOne assures that the Italian’s precedence is to remain put.
In spite of everything, it was Ducati who took him to his first, and thus far solely, world title within the 2023 Supersport World Championship, who gave him a manufacturing facility bike regardless of his underwhelming Moto2 profession, and who promoted him straight to the manufacturing facility crew in 2024 for his debut Superbike marketing campaign.
Not solely that, Ducati has the promise of a brand new bike in 2026, with the new-generation Panigale V4 R opening new alternatives for improvement, and the potential for elevated efficiency over the present bike, which has confirmed to be one of the best bundle within the championship over the previous three seasons at the least.
It appears unlikely that Ducati will let Bulega, who received six races in his rookie 12 months, depart on the finish of solely his second season, particularly if Alvaro Bautista retires on the finish of the season; primarily as a result of there may be restricted availability of riders who can be a transparent improve on Bulega.
There’s clearly the attract of a rider like Razgatlioglu, though the Turkish rider would most likely demand more cash than Bulega so as to depart BMW, the place he’s confirmed he can win titles, for a venture that isn’t in MotoGP; after which there may be Jonathan Rea, who may be cheaper than Razgatlioglu or Bulega, however would possibly now not be higher than both of them.
