Nicolo Bulega MotoGP Move 'Not Closed' Amid VR46-Ducati Dispute

Bulega's MotoGP Promotion Hits a Roadblock

Nicolo Bulega's move to MotoGP is far from settled. According to reporting by motogpnews.com, the deal that would bring the reigning World Superbike champion into the premier class has stalled, with VR46 Racing and Ducati at odds over specific contract clauses that neither side has yet been willing to bend on.

The situation is described as "not closed," a phrase that signals genuine uncertainty rather than routine negotiation theater. Bulega had been widely expected to make the leap to MotoGP on the back of a dominant Superbike campaign, but the contractual impasse has put a question mark over the timeline and even the destination of that move.

What Is Dividing VR46 and Ducati

The core of the dispute centres on contract terms between VR46, the Valentino Rossi-backed squad, and Ducati, which supplies machinery to the team and holds significant influence over rider placements across its satellite structure. The exact clauses under dispute have not been publicly detailed, but the disagreement is serious enough that talks have not reached a resolution.

This kind of friction is not entirely unusual in MotoGP's rider market, where manufacturer agreements, satellite team contracts, and individual rider deals form a layered web of obligations. For a rider of Bulega's profile, moving up from World Superbike to MotoGP involves not just a personal contract but also negotiations over performance guarantees, bike specifications, and future options that all parties need to align on.

Ducati has a strong interest in managing where its top prospects land, given the competitive depth across its MotoGP roster. VR46, meanwhile, has its own commercial and sporting priorities that may not perfectly match what Ducati is prepared to offer or require.

Bulega's Position at the Center of the Storm

For Bulega himself, the delay is an uncomfortable place to be. After taking the World Superbike title, the 24-year-old Italian is at the peak of his momentum and the natural next step is MotoGP. Uncertainty over contract terms is the last thing a rider wants when trying to plan a career-defining move.

His ties to the Ducati family run deep. He has raced Ducati machinery throughout his career, and Aruba.it Racing, the factory Superbike team he rides for, is a Ducati-supported operation. That history makes a clean split or a move to a non-Ducati MotoGP team unlikely in the short term, which means the two sides have a shared incentive to find common ground.

Still, as motogpnews.com reports, the file remains open and unresolved. The MotoGP silly season has a habit of producing last-minute breakthroughs, but it also produces deals that fall apart entirely. Until ink is on paper, Bulega's MotoGP future stays in limbo.

What Comes Next

The coming weeks will be critical. MotoGP teams typically want rider lineups confirmed well ahead of the following season to allow for logistics, sponsorship agreements, and technical preparation. The longer this standoff continues, the more pressure builds on both VR46 and Ducati to move toward a resolution, or to accept that this particular arrangement will not work.

Other teams and manufacturers will be watching closely. A rider with Bulega's credentials and recent form does not stay available for long, and any sign that the VR46-Ducati talks are collapsing could prompt rival teams to make contact.

For now, the message from the reporting is clear. The Nicolo Bulega MotoGP move is alive but not done, and the contractual disagreement between VR46 and Ducati is real enough to delay what many expected to be a straightforward promotion.