Nicolo Bulega took his first World Championship when he was just 16, winning the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3™ Junior World Championship after an incredible season in which he scored points in every race and took seven podiums from 12 starts. Born in Montecchio Emilia, Bulega progressed through the usual route of mini moto before taking titles in the 125 and 250 PreGP cups in Italy. This got him noticed by the VR46 Riders Academy, who helped him in the CEV Championship and brought him to the World Championship in 2016 with the SKY Racing Team VR46 squad. After a first pole position in Jerez and his first podiums, Bulega stayed with the SKY Racing Team VR46 in 2017 but had a tougher campaign with a best of fourth. Another difficult season followed in 2018, with seventh being Bulega’s best result before injury ruled him out of the final four races of the year. A move up to the intermediate class with Sky Racing Team VR46 awaited the Italian in 2019, with Bulega earning four top 10 finishes in his maiden Moto2™ season. After a best result of P7 at Brno, Bulega moved to Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 for the 2020 campaign. It was an underwhelming season for the Italian as he only cracked the top 10 twice and ended 20th in the standings. 2021 saw the Italian compete in his final Moto2 season with the Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 squad, claiming a best finish of 11th in France and Germany. 2022 saw a new challenge as the #11 looked towards a new challenge, joining the Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP team. In his rookie season, Bulega experienced immediate success, claiming nine podiums and finishing P4 in the standings. His first win in the class arrived the following season, beginning a remarkable 2023 campaign. Bulega clinched 16 victories throughout the year, becoming the WorldSSP Champion and catching the attention of many in the paddock. Following an incredible season, Bulega was promoted to WorldSBK for 2024, winning on debut with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team. The #11 took six wins in his rookie season, finishing as runner-up as he looked towards remaining with the team for the following year. In 2025, Bulega took 14 wins, bringing the title fight down to the wire at the final round. – ending the season as runner-up once more. During the 2025 season, Bulega announced a contract extension with Ducati for the 2026 WorldSBK season, also becoming a test rider alongside Michele Pirro in MotoGP. The Italian star enjoyed his first taste of MotoGP machinery at the end of October, later being announced as Marc Marquez’ replacement in Portugal and Valencia as the #93 continues his recovery.