The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship is hurtling towards its grand finale in 2026, heading to Portugal for the second time this year as Circuito Estoril hosts the Tissot Estoril Round. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) arrives already crowned as the 2026 World Champion, embarking on his final two rounds in WorldSBK before making the jump to MotoGP. But the Italian is not just cruising to the finish line, as he sits on 26 wins and has Alvaro Bautista's (Barni Spark Racing Team) single-season win record of 27 firmly in his crosshairs. Standing in his way is teammate Iker Lecuona, fresh off a maiden hat-trick, while Bautista looks to close out a difficult campaign where the two-time WorldSBK Champion remains without a seat for 2027.
Meanwhile, the home crowd will have plenty to roar about as Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) takes on his home round just 30 minutes from his hometown of Almada. Oliveira comes into the weekend hoping to convert promising pace from Cremona, where he ran as high as fifth in Race 2 before a crash, onto home soil. On the other side of the garage, Danilo Petrucci continues his long goodbye after confirming he is not looking for other options in World Superbike, carrying a previous best Estoril finish of fifth from 2024 into the weekend.
In the fight for the bronze medal, Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) holds a 43-point advantage over Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) and 50 over Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team). To wrap up third place right here at Estoril, Montella needs to leave the venue at least 62 points clear of the Lowes twins. Behind them, Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven) defends sixth in the standings with a nine-point gap over Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team), while Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team) fights off a hard-charging Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing), who arrives just five points behind the Texan after claiming his maiden World Superbike podium at Cremona.
Further down the order, Andrea Locatelli (Pata Maxus Yamaha) looks to lean on a strong historical record at Estoril to lift himself out of a tricky season alongside teammate Xavi Vierge, who is contesting his final two rounds in blue before switching to Barni Ducati alongside Montella. Jake Dixon (Honda HRC) aims to back up a breakthrough top-six finish at Cremona on a Honda machine that previously secured a podium at Estoril with Lecuona in 2024. Tommy Bridewell (Superbike Advocates), Stefano Manzi (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team), and Somkiat Chantra (Honda HRC) are also looking to add to their points tallies, with Twan Smits (Motoxracing WorldSBK Team) hunting for his first points of the year alongside teammate Mattia Rato.
Medical fitness remains a major talking point ahead of the weekend. Tarran Mackenzie (MGM Optical Express Racing) aims to return after missing Cremona due to injuries sustained at Donington Park, where Loris Baz filled in. Additionally, Remy Gardner (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) must pass a pre-round medical check on Thursday after being declared unfit at Cremona with a fractured fifth metacarpal bone in his right hand following a Friday crash.
