The future of both Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and teammate Alvaro Bautista in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is starting to be spoken about more as the season progresses, with Bulega leading the Championship standings and Bautista in P4 after an up and down start to the campaign. During FP1 at the TT Circuit Assen, Team Principal Stefano Cecconi discussed the future of both riders, revealing that they’re not in a rush but ‘the sooner the better’ that they know the 2026 line-up.

BULEGA'S FUTURE: “Talking about Nicolo, it might be a two-year contract, but as a plan B it may be 1+1”

The #11 has made no secret of his desire to remain in place, having stated on Thursday that the goal is to keep everyone together, while speaking at Portimao, he said he would like to continue with Ducati. While nothing has been announced, it’s clear that Bulega is aiming to stay with the team that helped him enjoy a stellar start to his WorldSBK career, racking up nine wins and 30 podiums in his 14-round career so far, including a maiden hat-trick at Phillip Island.

Discussing the future and referring to what that could look like with Bulega, Cecconi stated: “To be honest, we’re just on the third round, there is no rush. We just started talking about the future, but no decision will be taken anytime soon. I hope within a couple of months, before the beginning of the summer, to be 90% sure of what is going on. The sooner the better but like I said no rush, we will take our time whether that is a couple weeks or a few months. Talking about Nicolo, it might be a two-year contract, but as a plan B it may be 1+1."

WHAT ABOUT BAUTISTA? “Renewal first, then we focus on the new bike with the riders we are sure we will have”

With Bulega’s future being spoken about, the same questions will also be asked of teammate Bautista. The two-time Champion’s contract expires at the end of the season and he has also expressed a goal for his future: to ride the new Panigale machine that Ducati will introduce next year, while he’s aiming to recover the feeling he had two years ago when he won the title for the second time.

Providing an update on Bautista’s future, Cecconi said: "Regarding Alvaro, the first question is to see if he is going to be having fun again, as he has said many times. The feeling on the bike is very important for him to make the decision or not. He's on a good path so far on the bike and if he can follow this feeling then we can talk about the future. As a policy normally we first make sure that the rider is going to stay, then we work on the new bike, it doesn't make sure to work on the bike with a rider that you're not sure if they're staying or not. Renewal first, then we focus on the new bike with the riders we are sure we will have."

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