MotoGP Champion Marc Márquez Out for the Rest of the Season

Marc Márquez, the MotoGP champion, will not return for the rest of the season and will be replaced by World Superbike runner-up Nicolo Bulega. Bulega will fill in for the Spaniard in the last two rounds in Portugal and Valencia, Ducati announced on Friday (31). Márquez had already missed the two previous races, ending the season early after fracturing his clavicle during the Indonesian Grand Prix earlier this month. The injury occurred a week after the Spaniard secured his seventh premier-class title at the Japanese GP. Ducati’s test rider, Michele Pirro, substituted for Márquez in the Australian and Malaysian rounds. However, the team chose to give Bulega, who had previously tested the bike in Jerez, the opportunity to make his debut in the category. ‘I am very happy to finish a season like this with a last-minute surprise. Debuting in the MotoGP is every kid’s dream who wants to be a rider,’ Bulega said in a team statement. ‘Moreover, being able to ride the world championship-winning bike in the final two races of 2025 makes everything even more exciting,’ he added. The 26-year-old Bulega competed for the World Superbike title with Aruba Racing but was overtaken in the final round by Toprak Razgatlioglu, who secured his third title and will make his MotoGP debut next season. ‘Nicolo has been part of the Ducati Corse family since 2022 when we invited him to compete in Supersport,’ said Ducati General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna. ‘We believe in him, and he has repaid us with two standout seasons in Superbike, where he came very close to the title and became a reference for the team.’