The Ducati Lenovo Team heads to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve this weekend for the penultimate round of the 2025 MotoGP season — and all eyes will be on Nicolò Bulega, who makes his long-awaited Premier Class debut in place of Marc Márquez. Press: Ducati Lenovo Team

Fresh from finishing runner-up in the 2025 WorldSBK Championship with Aruba.it Racing Ducati, Bulega joins the factory squad for the final two rounds of the year, starting with Portimao — marking his 100th career Grand Prix start. The 25-year-old Italian got his first taste of Ducati’s Desmosedici GP last week during a private test at Jerez.

“I’m happy and at the same time a little nervous about this debut,” Bulega said. “I want to enjoy the moment but also do a good job with the Team. I have no expectations in terms of results; I just want to start gaining confidence with the Desmosedici GP.”

Teammate Francesco Bagnaia returns to action in Portugal after a strong showing in Malaysia, where he won the Sprint race and led much of Sunday’s GP. Currently sitting fourth in the championship standings with 286 points, Bagnaia is eager to end the season on a high.

“I came back from Malaysia with a bitter taste in my mouth, but also some positive feelings,” Bagnaia said. “We were competitive all weekend, which we’d been missing in the last few GPs. Portimao is a unique track — we’ll keep working to find the same confidence we had in Sepang.”

Ducati has enjoyed success at Portimao in recent years, with Bagnaia winning in 2023 and Jorge Martin taking victory in 2024. The Ducati Lenovo Team also leads both the Constructors and Team Standings heading into the final two rounds.

Free practice kicks off at 10:45am. local time on Friday, November 7, with the Sprint and full-length races to follow over the weekend.

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