Ducati will introduce a brand new star to the MotoGP grid for the primary time on the Portuguese Grand Prix, with Nicolo Brega making his debut within the premier class.
The Italian producer is left with a giant gap to fill in its manufacturing facility lineup after seven-time world champion Marc Marquez suffered a season-ending shoulder harm final month.
Within the run-up to the Australian and Malaysian GPs, Ducati drafted in check rider Michele Pirro to symbolize the quantity 93 automobile within the storage.
Following final week’s check in Jerez, Ducati has given the inexperienced mild to World Superbike star Nicolo Brega to switch Marquez within the last two races of the 2025 MotoGP season.
Brega’s path to the MotoGP beginning grid has been a winding one. A former pupil of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Academy, his time in Moto2 and Moto3 did not dwell as much as his potential.
Entering into the World Superbike paddock with Ducati in World Supersport in 2022 energized his profession, and in 2023 Brega grew to become World Champion in Supersport.
He made his World Superbike debut with Ducati in 2024 and took his first Ask win on his debut weekend. He has been runner-up within the championship for the previous two years.
Brega, who will stay a Ducati rider in World Superbike subsequent yr, can be a part of the model’s MotoGP check roster with a view to growth in 2027 and will probably earn a race seat with certainly one of its groups.
Earlier than that, he’ll make his MotoGP debut aboard the GP25 at Portimao.
On this week’s Crash MotoGP Podcast, the crew discusses what to anticipate from Brega’s debut race.
They may even look elsewhere on the grid, making an attempt to foretell the standings for this weekend’s twenty first race of the season.
Obtain the Crash MotoGP Podcast right here
“That is huge information,” stated Crash MotoGP editor Peter McLaren. “Often while you get these replacements, particularly at Ducati in recent times,[the riders]are on the different finish of their MotoGP profession. Iannone, Pirro, Petrucci, Bautista, guys that come again as sort of a giveaway. They’re about to start out their full-time careers. However in Brega’s case it is very totally different. He is already on his strategy to a 27-year Ducati MotoGP seat. He has an opportunity. “He examined over six days on observe, and I heard that the climate was not excellent, so it was an attention-grabbing state of affairs for him, most likely within the 1:39 vary. As a result of he had to withstand the urge to push an excessive amount of on the bike he received the championship on.
