As the 2025 season dawns, the Superbike World Championship is about to undergo a revolution: all factory rider contracts are expiring, paving the way for a potentially explosive transfer window. At the heart of this excitement, Nicolò Bulega, championship leader with Aruba.it Ducati, is positioning himself as a key player. At 25, the XNUMX-year-old, who has dominated the season with six wins, already seems close to securing his future with Ducati, in a deal where money isn't the only driver.
As the 2025 World Superbike Championship season gets underway, a contractual chess game is looming behind the scenes. All factory rider contracts are set to expire at the end of the year, and among them, Nicholas Bulega, current leader of the championship, is the center of all attention.
The 25-year-old pilot, spearhead of Ducati Aruba.it, has already won six races this season. After giving the Bologna-based firm its first Supersport world title in 2023, he is now on track to win his first WSBK crown. But his future isn't just on the asphalt – it could well be decided on another terrain: MotoGP.
« I want to stay with Ducati ", recently confided Open up à speedweekThe message is clear: brand loyalty, but with conditions. And not just financial ones.
Nicolò Bulega eyes the 2027 Ducati expected on the track in March 2026
Indeed, according to several sources, including GPOne, the ongoing negotiations include two major demands: a salary increase and above all a test with the DucatiMotoGP, possibly in version 2026, under future technical regulations.
This last point is not insignificant. From 2027, the premier class will move from 1 to 000 cc, a technical upheaval that could redraw the hierarchy. Pirelli will also take the place of Michelin as an official tire supplier. In this context, the arrival of a driver like Open up, already accustomed to the Pirelli philosophy, could be strategic for Ducati.
If the Italian brand wants to bet on a smooth transition into the new MotoGP era, integrating a Open up on the rise via a 2026 test program has all the hallmarks of a calibrated operation. This would be a way to evaluate it on the Desmosedici while preparing for a gradual ramp-up.
Open up now has one foot firmly planted in Superbike, but the other is starting to slide towards MotoGP. Ducati knows it, and doesn't want to lose it. The Italian rider holds the cards: he performs, he seduces, and he may already embody the future of MotoGP post-2026. If the MotoGP test becomes a reality, the countdown to a new rise will begin. According to some sources, the first ride of the Ducati compliant with the new 2027 regulations is expected for March 2026 ...
