Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) has wasted absolutely no time asserting himself at the Tissot Estoril Round, topping the opening free practice session by a razor-thin 0.052 seconds. Just weeks after clinching the title, the newly-crowned champion returned to the track sporting gold patches on his leathers to mark his success, immediately laying down a 1’35.546s lap around the Circuito Estoril to kick off his penultimate weekend in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.
That said, the headline act faced serious pressure from a rising star. Alberto Surra (Motocorsa Racing) put his #67 machine right into the mix, grabbing second place in a brilliant start to the weekend. Fresh off a podium at Cremona and carrying a fresh 2027 contract in his pocket, the rookie even threatened the top spot late in the 45-minute session before ultimately settling for second behind the dominant Italian.
Behind them, Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) completed the top three. Coming off the back of his maiden treble last time out, the #11's teammate finished the session 0.379s off the pace after being usurped by the charging rookie in the dying moments of the run. Meanwhile, Alex Lowes (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team) ensured a strong start for Bimota by securing fourth place with a 1’36.084s lap, though he had briefly held third before the late improvements shuffled the order.
Xavi Vierge (Pata Maxus Yamaha) also found extra pace late on to take fifth with a 1’36.147s, pushing Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) down to sixth. Even so, sixth place marks Bautista's best FP1 placing of the season so far, beating out his previous high watermark of P7.
Further down the order, the margins were breathtakingly tight. Sam Lowes (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) climbed into seventh during the closing stages, leading a fierce traffic jam that separated Bautista, the #14 machine, and Lorenzo Baldassarri (Team GoEleven). A mere 0.006s split Bautista and Sam Lowes, with just 0.005s separating the #14 and Baldassarri. The Italian rider clocked a 1’36.286s to take eighth place, while Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) rounded out the top nine ahead of home hero Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team).
