The grid for MotoGP in 2027 is near complete. Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team make Ducati the penultimate manufacturer to solidify their lineup. With Franco Morbidelli departing and Fabio Di Giannantonio heading to KTM, both seats were up for grabs. Ducati moved Fermín Aldeguer over to the team and now World Superbike rider Nicolò Bulega is set to make his full-time MotoGP debut.
Arrivederci Morbidelli and Di Giannantonio
For the past two seasons, Morbidelli and Di Giannantonio have formed VR46 Racing Team’s lineup. The latter joined in 2024 after switching from Gresini Racing MotoGP. Di Giannantonio will be departing Ducati and the team this year. He is heading to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Morbidelli joined in 2025. The #21 came to MotoGP in 2018 after becoming the Moto2 World Champion. After a single year with Honda and the EG 0,0 Marc VDS team, he moved to Yamaha. Initially at their satellite team, Petronas Yamaha SRT, Morbidelli took his maiden win in 2020.
Three wins and five podiums later, 2020 brought Morbidelli his best finish: second in the championship. However, in the 2021 season, he had to miss rounds due to a training injury. On his return, Maverick Viñales and Yamaha ended their partnership. Subsequently, the factory team promoted the #21.
In 2024, the Italian rider departed Yamaha to join Ducati, forming Prima Pramac Racing with Jorge Martín. After a year here, he then headed to VR46 Racing. 2026 has been a struggle, and he stands 16th currently. With only two top ten finishes, Morbidelli has been trailing behind the Ducati riders. Currently, he is rumoured to leave MotoGP and head to World Superbikes for the 2027 season.
VR46 Racing Team Complete Their Team
Like many other teams, VR46 Racing faces a brand new rider lineup for the upcoming 2027 season. However, both riders are no stranger to Ducati. Spanish rider Fermín Aldeguer moves from BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP, another Ducati satelitte team. VR46 also welcome the fourth rookie, Nicolò Bulega, who races for Aruba.it Racing – Ducati in WSBK.
“We believe that the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team represents the ideal environment for him to continue his development. In recent years, the Team has shown that it knows how to get the best out of young talents and that it is a truly competitive outfit in the Championship. We are certain that Fermín will have everything he needs here to continue growing and achieve important milestones. At Ducati, we strongly believe in his potential.”
~ Managing Director of Ducati Corse, Gigi Dall’Igna, on Aldeguer heading to VR46 Racing.“We complete next year’s line-up with Nicolò Bulega, a rider who always proved to be very talented and determined. His journey has not been always easy, but he is dominating the WorldSBK: he proved to deserve a place in MotoGP. Next year the regulation will change, and we will all start from zero. For sure, his experience with the WorldSBK tyres and the test with the new Ducati Desmosedici GP as a Ducati test rider will help him adapting well to the new category and making this journey as easy as possible. We trust him and we know he will be able to fight for the most important goals.”
~ Pablo Nieto, VR46 Racing’s Team Manager, on signing Bulega.
Fermín Aldeguer
After competing in MotoE, Aldeguer skipped Moto3. 2021 saw him head straight to Moto2 with Speed Up Racing on a part-time basis. His first full year, 2022, was marred by crashes and DNF’s but the following year was when he shone. Following his maiden win at the 2023 British Grand Prix, the Spanish rider came out and impressed. The season ended with him taking three consecutive victories.
After another impressive season, the young rider joined the batch of rookies debuting in MotoGP in 2025 alongside Ai Ogura and Somkiat Chantra. The first part of the season was about steady improvement as Aldeguer adjusted. As the year progressed, so did he. After achieving his maiden podium in France, the Spaniard continued to impress. The Indonesian Grand Prix was where Aldeguer made his mark. Following Marc Márquez and Marco Bezzecchi colliding, the rookie went on to take his maiden win. In doing so, he become the first rookie since Martín to win his his rookie year, and the second youngest rider to win.
After an impressive rookie campaign, there was no denying Aldeguer’s talent. However, 2026 has been a harder year. A training incident caused him to miss the opening round with a broken femur. During a crash at the Dutch Grand Prix, he suffered a back injury. Consequently, he missed further rounds. Despite the missed rounds, Aldeguer has continued to impress.
Nicolò Bulega
Bulega joins the new group of rookies debuting in 2027 after a long and impressive career. After impressing in the FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship, he advanced to Moto3 in 2016. In the series, he raced for Sky Racing Team VR46 and achieved two podiums. In 2019 he advanced to Moto2 and remained with the team before moving to Federal Oil Gresini Moto2.
Instead of following the traditional path, Bulega left the MotoGP ladder after the 2021 Moto2 season. From there, he headed into the Supersport World Championship. His debut year saw him impress with his wheel-to-wheel, securing nine podiums. But his second season was when he excelled. The Italian rider dominated the 2023 season, with 16 wins and 21 podiums over 24 races.
Following his dominance, Bulega moved into World Superbikes in 2024, remaining with Ducati in the Aruba.it Racing team. He won on debut and immediately began to cement his name in the series’ history. Now in his third season, he is making history and breaking records. WSBK has completed nine rounds, and he has won all but one of the 27 races. His clear dominance and talent is unprecedented in the series, with his only non-win being a second place.
Whilst 2027 marks his debut in MotoGP, he is no stranger to the category. Last year saw him join the Ducati Lenovo Team, replacing an injured Marc Márquez in the final rounds. And this year, he has been the teams’ test rider. His experience and an established relationship with the team and manufacturer, paired with his wheel-to-wheel knowledge and skill on track, make him an exciting addition to the MotoGP grid.
MotoGP in 2027 Takes Shape
With VR46 Racing completing their lineup, MotoGP for 2027 is taking shape. Now, only two seats remain and David Alonso is yet to be confirmed to a specific Honda team. Eyes are on Diogo Moreira to see whether he remains with Castrol Honda LCR or if he is promoted to Honda HRC Castrol. Red Bull KTM Tech3 are also yet to confirm their final seat.
With Nicolò Bulega confirmed, 2027 will see at least four rookies racing. This is the most rookies since the 2022 season. He also becomes the second rider in a row to switch WSBK for MotoGP, following in Toprak Razgatlıoğlu’s footsteps. Alongside Fermín Aldeguer, the pairing will bring fresh eyes to the team whilst knowing and understanding the team dynamics. With both riders having impressive on-track skills, Bulega’s knowledge of Pirelli tyres could help the team in the new regulations.