WorldSBK: Nicolo Bulega: “Everyone was speaking about me as the next MotoGP

Bulega won the Junior championship which led to many claiming he could be a MotoGP champion in the future.

However, the Italian struggled to be a consistent challenger in Moto3 and Moto2 before switching to WorldSSP. 

Bulega’s talent has never been in question, but the pressure he was put under from such a young age, is at least in his mind, something that was not necessary. 

“When I won the Junior World Championship in 2015, everybody was speaking about me as the next MotoGP Champion,” Bulega told WorldSBK.com. “Too many things that I didn’t want to hear. They gave me more pressure and I didn’t need it at that time, I was too young. 

“I was 16 years old, in my first year of the World Championship. I was just having fun with my bike. 

“Maybe I was not ready to feel a lot of pressure. When you arrive at one point where you are not enjoying riding motorbikes, or going to the race circuits… this is what happened to me. 

“The last two years in Moto2™ were especially bad for me. I was coming to this Championship in a bad situation and mentality because I was not ready to race.

“When I came to this paddock, and WorldSSP, I knew inside that it was my last possibility to be a professional rider. For me, maybe it was the second chance of my life.”

Although Bulega had to wait for his first title until year two in the series, it was evident very early on that the Italian, aboard the new Panigale V2, was going to be a threat. 

Bulega did not win a race in his rookie season despite stepping on the podium nine times, however, that changed in race 1 of the 2023 campaign as he took victory 14 times.

“My team did an incredible job,” said the Italian. “They worked very hard on the bike. I enjoyed these two years a lot. 

“Our goal was to win the Championship with me and my team and, in the end, we did it. We are World Champions, not ‘only I am World Champion’. It means a lot of things. 

“To be World Champion is something that cannot happen every year. It’s something special. It’s a season that I will remember for all my life. I am very happy. 

“Until Jerez, I won 14 races and Ducati won 15 in total. It means that me and my team are making the difference. People can think what they want but, in the end, we are World Champions, and this is the most important thing. 

“I think I had an incredible package but maybe we are the only ones to bring out the best from this bike. Thanks to all my team because they gave me an incredible package. 

“Not only the bike because it was important to have a good bike, but they gave me everything to be World Champion.”