The 2024 WorldSBK season noticed Nicolo Bulega emerge as one of many sequence standout abilities in his rookie 12 months, giving him an elevated worth that he desires 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.
Nonetheless – in line with the Italian publication GPOne, who spoke to Bulega’s supervisor, Alberto Martinelli, on the Monza Rally Present initially of December – the Italian can be looking for larger phrases in his contract with the manufacturing facility Ducati group.
In essence, Bulega – whose present Ducati deal expires on the finish of this 12 months – desires 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 possible 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 up to now 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 group 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 growth, and the potential of elevated efficiency over the present bike, which has confirmed to be the most effective package deal within the championship over the previous three seasons no less than.
It appears unlikely that Ducati will let Bulega, who gained 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’s restricted availability of riders who could be a transparent improve on Bulega.
There’s clearly the attract of a rider like Razgatlioglu, though the Turkish rider would most likely demand extra money than Bulega so as to depart BMW, the place he’s confirmed he can win titles, for a mission that isn’t in MotoGP; after which there’s Jonathan Rea, who is likely to be cheaper than Razgatlioglu or Bulega, however may not be higher than both of them.