WorldSBK 2025 Round 2 – Portimão Day 1: Bulega 2nd, Bautista 5th as Ducati Duo Start Strong
Free practice for Round 2 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) at Portimão concluded with both Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders off to a promising start. Nicolo Bulega finished the day in 2nd, while teammate Álvaro Bautista secured 5th, as both riders showed confidence on the Portuguese circuit and focused on fine-tuning the Panigale V4R’s setup and tire selection for the weekend.
Bulega Cuts Lap Time, Finishes Just Behind Toprak
After leading the morning FP1 session, Bulega further improved in FP2, slashing over 0.7 seconds off his time to post a 1’40.294. He ended the day just 0.3 seconds behind session leader Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (BMW), securing 2nd overall with a steady and competitive performance.
Nicolo Bulega:
“This morning we took a step forward compared to testing, and I’m happy with that. In the afternoon, we made further improvements. It was a productive Friday, and although we closed the gap to Toprak, he’s still the favorite for the weekend. If we can take another step tomorrow, I believe we’ll be ready to fight.”
Bautista Gains Pace on Used Tires
Bautista also found improvement in FP2, bettering his morning lap by around 0.3 seconds despite using worn tires. He finished with a best time of 1’40.706, putting him 5th overall and within range of the front-runners.
Álvaro Bautista:
“I’m satisfied with how the first day went. We’ve been able to replicate the good feeling we had in Australia during testing, and that carried over into both free practice sessions. We also gathered important data for making tire decisions. There’s still work to do, but I’m feeling confident.”
(Photo courtesy of Ducati)