The MotoGP lineup for the 2027 season is taking shape. After months of intense negotiations behind the scenes at Mugello, the VR46 team has made its decision: it is the current leader of the Superbike World Championship, Nicolo Bulega, who will partner Fermin Aldeguer in Valentino Rossi's team.
For months, the MotoGP paddock has been abuzz with speculation about the team's future. VR46Between the ambitions of Valentino Rossi, the strategic interests of Ducati With multiple Italian candidates in contention, the choice of the future driver pairing had become one of the most closely watched issues in the transfer market.
The weekend of Mugello This finally helped to clarify the situation. Gathered around the same table, Valentino Rossi, the CEO of Ducati Claudio Domenicali and the general manager Gigi Dall'Igna have made their decision regarding the future of the Italian team. A decision that could have repercussions far beyond the 2027 season.
For several weeks now, it had been accepted that Fabio DiGiannantonio would leave VR46 to join KTMAt the same time, Franco Morbidelli seemed doomed to lose his seat, with no real credible prospect of continuing his MotoGP career.
The other certainty concerned Fermin AldeguerThe Spaniard, currently at Gresiniis called upon to join VR46 as part of the major reshuffle orchestrated by DucatiThe only remaining question was the identity of the pilot who would accompany him.
Several profiles were being considered. Celestino Vietti represented the home solution thanks to its membership in the VR46 Academy. Luca marini, half-brother of Valentino Rossi, also appeared as a credible option while his adventure at Honda is coming to an end. But a third name had been circulating insistently for several months: Nicolò Bulega.
And in the end, he was the one who won. According to information coming from Mugello via speedweekThe decision has now been made. Only the official signing is needed to finalize the deal. This choice goes far beyond mere sporting considerations.
The Pirelli advantage and the 850cc machine for Bulega
Certainly, Open up is currently impressing in Superbike. His incredible run of twenty consecutive races without a defeat is already a historic achievement in a discipline created in 1988. But that's not what convinced Ducati.
What truly impressed the Borgo Panigale management was what the Italian demonstrated during his appearances on the MotoGP prototypes. During his private tests and occasional replacements last year, Open up left a considerable impression on the engineers and managers of the Italian factory.
The observation is simple: he's fast. Very fast. And above all, he now possesses a strategic value that few drivers can claim.
Recent tests conducted at Misano The upcoming 850cc MotoGP bikes have further reinforced this conviction. On asphalt exceeding 60 degrees, Open up would have posted times significantly faster than those achieved by development benchmarks such as Dani Pedrosa for KTM, Augusto Fernandez for Yamaha or Lorenzo Savadori for Aprilia.
But the decisive argument lies elsewhere. With the arrival of Pirelli as the sole supplier in 2027, the experience gained by Open up In Superbike, this becomes a major advantage. Few riders on the future MotoGP grid will have such in-depth knowledge of Italian tires. Ducati He knows it perfectly well.
Each kilometer traveled today by Open up the data on the future 850cc represents a valuable amount of data that regular MotoGP riders cannot accumulate due to testing restrictions.
By the end of the season, the Italian is expected to have accumulated several more days of development work on the future machine. As a result, when Marc Marquez et Peter Acosta will mount their Ducati 850 cc during the Valencia tests, Open up could already be the rider with the best knowledge of the motorcycle.
A considerable advantage. Because behind this transfer to VR46 There may be an even more important mission hidden within: to become the accelerator of the project Ducati 2027And in a championship that is about to experience the biggest technical revolution in its recent history, this expertise could be worth almost as much as a victory.
With this duo composed of Fermin Aldeguer et Nicholas Bulega, the team VR46 has assembled a hybrid team combining fiery youth and rare technical expertise. DucatiMeanwhile, it secures a crucial technological advantage to enter the 850cc era. If the name of Valentino Rossi While still relying on this structure, it is now a very "factory" and mathematical approach that seems to guide the choices of the Tavullia team for 2027.
