Pol Espargaró stuns everyone: “It’s not fair, but Bulega is the favorite to win the 2027 MotoGP World Championship”
According to ‘Marca,’ Pol Espargaró was emphatic when speaking about Nicolò Bulega, Ducati’s test rider on the 850cc bike and set to become a full-time MotoGP rider in 2027 with the VR46 team.
“Absurd. It’s absolutely absurd, and I’d even say unfair. Because next year he’ll be a full-time rider; he’ll have covered a huge number of kilometers, and they’re building that bike around him, so he’ll know it inside and out—and the same goes for the tires. He’ll also have two extra days in the shakedown. The amount of experience and speed he’ll have will be incredible. I think it’s unfair to the riders moving up from Moto2 to MotoGP and to those who stay behind. If I were still racing, I’d have a huge advantage over the others after all these tests. Bulega is coming from a championship where the bike he rides is quite similar to next year’s MotoGP bike, and with his experience and all these tests, I think he’ll dominate everyone,” he said.
When asked if Bulega could even get the better of Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta, Espargaró was quite explicit: “I think so. Not because he’s better, but because of his experience. Let me give you an example: remember how fast I was last year on the circuits where I raced as a wild card? I’d arrive on Friday and was immediately very fast. Here in Austria, I set the second-fastest time in the first free practice session thanks to the tests. I made it straight into Q2 with ease. And that was a 1000, a bike everyone was familiar with,” he concluded.
Espargaró’s comments take on even greater significance when considering Bulega’s recent track record. The rider from Emilia, who completely dominated the 2026 Superbike season, has already racked up a considerable number of kilometers on the Ducati 850, the bike he’ll be riding in the premier class. Not everything, however, has gone smoothly: just last Wednesday at Mugello, Bulega was involved in a spectacular crash on the second day of testing, losing control of his bike following a violent highside at Arrabbiata 2. He was taken to the hospital, where tests fortunately ruled out any fractures, and the rider has already returned home.
The accident, however, does not detract from the extraordinary achievements Bulega has racked up this season. At Magny-Cours, in early September, the rider from Emilia secured his tenth consecutive pole position in the Superbike World Championship, also setting a new track record at the French circuit, and is now mathematically close to clinching the world title.
