Nicolo Bulega expects Portuguese WorldSBK “struggle” after Australia domination

WorldSBK points leader Nicolo Bulega has tried to dampen the expectations on himself ahead of the second round of the 2026 season.

Bulega arrives in Portugal having dominated the season opener in Australia. The Italian topped all four test sessions in the week before the race weekend, then topped all three practices, set pole position, and won all three races.

His lead at the top of the World Superbike standings, over Bimota’s Axel Bassani, stands at 20 points after the first of 12 rounds.

But he is not expecting to enjoy the same level of domination in Portugal, where last year he was second in all three races to Toprak Razgatlioglu, as he achieved at Phillip Island.

“I’m happy to come here, especially after the great weekend in Australia,” Nicolo Bulega told WorldSBK.com.

“I hope to be fast here. Finally, we have good weather.

“In Australia, I was fast. I had a very good feeling with the bike. 

“Australia is always a fantastic place for me and my bike. 

“I expect to struggle a little bit more here.”

Bulega added that he was not helped much by the two-day test on 9–10 March which was hit by rain on the afternoon of the first day and throughout the second. Ducati was also not among the manufacturers that stayed on for the third day on 13 March.

“There are a lot of fast guys on different bikes,” Bulega said.

“I expect a little bit more of a mix compared to Phillip Island. 

“The test was not very useful because the weather was still very bad. I did, I think, 25 laps. These 25 laps weren’t so bad. 

“Then I had a crash, but it was a stupid crash; I’m not worried about that.”

Bulega is yet to win a WorldSBK race at Portimao, but has only finished off the podium twice in six starts there, those coming in Race 1 and the Superpole Race in his rookie year. The Italian did win there in 2023 on his run to the World Supersport title, and finished 15th in his MotoGP race there when replacing Marc Marquez last November.