WorldSBK 2026
Round 11 – Estoril – Friday
Bulega leads a Ducati top three at Estoril
Nicolò Bulega topped both Friday practice sessions at Estoril, with Alberto Surra and Iker Lecuona finishing within a tenth of the newly crowned World Superbike Champion as the penultimate round of the season got underway in Portugal.
Bulega lowered his morning benchmark of 1m35.546s to 1m35.432s in FP2, leaving Motocorsa Racing’s Surra 0.066s adrift and Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team-mate Lecuona another 0.018s behind. Miguel Oliveira led the challenge from the other manufacturers at his home round, fourth on the BMW, while Axel Bassani completed the top five for Bimota.
The first 14 riders were covered by less than eight-tenths on combined times, but the headline gaps only told part of the story. Ducati reported that neither of its factory riders used the soft rear tyre, while Surra confirmed running a new SCX. Several teams also concentrated on used-tyre running rather than a late time attack.
Bulega’s lap sequence underlined his position at the front. His fastest lap came on his fifth timed lap of FP2, just over 11 minutes into the session, and he recorded 13 laps below 1m36s. Surra’s two laps in that bracket came towards the end of the afternoon, a 1m35.502s followed by his 1m35.498s best. Different tyre programmes and unknown fuel loads prevent a direct race-pace comparison, but Bulega’s speed was sustained across substantially more laps than the narrow final margin might suggest.
Conditions were dry throughout, with the track temperature rising from around 25 degrees in the morning to 39 degrees for FP2. Finding grip and preserving the tyres over Saturday’s 21-lap opener featured prominently in the riders’ assessments.
Nicolò Bulega – P1
“Today was much better than the Friday in Cremona. I needed to get my good feeling back with the bike so I’m happy with today. I’m missing the last 10% but overall I’m okay. It’s just the small details that we’re missing. It’s a little bit under braking and a bit for turning into some corners. Cremona was difficult because there was a lot of stress over the weekend and I wanted to win the championship at home. But I’m now free mentally and I’m ready to race.”
Surra was second in both sessions, having finished only 0.052s behind Bulega in FP1. He improved by precisely a tenth in the afternoon and completed 32 laps across the day, compared with Bulega’s 38 and Lecuona’s 39.
Alberto Surra – P2
“I had the new SCX tyre for my second run but I had a good feeling with the bike all day. We improved another thing after Cremona to make another step and I’m really happy. I have a good pace and a good lap time, lap after lap. I’ll try for the best result.”
Lecuona found 0.409s between sessions after struggling with braking, turning and grip in the morning. His 1m35.516s came early in FP2, and the Spaniard also topped the afternoon speed trap at 329.3 km/h. His best sectors from FP2 gave him a theoretical 1m35.263s, just 0.004s quicker than Bulega’s equivalent, although neither rider assembled those sectors into a single lap.
Iker Lecuona – P3
“It was a Friday with a few ups and downs. In FP1, the feeling wasn’t great, but in FP2 we took a big step forward. We need to work on the data to get back to the feeling we had in Cremona. Overall, I’m very confident.”
Oliveira fourth as Bimota work on tyre life
Oliveira improved from 1m36.490s in the morning to 1m35.816s on his final lap of FP2, finishing four-tenths behind Bulega. The Portuguese rider was 0.300s behind the leading Ducati trio and 0.028s ahead of Bassani.
BMW team-mate Danilo Petrucci was 16th overall with a 1m36.488s, 0.672s behind Oliveira. Petrucci ran onto the asphalt at Turn One early in FP2 before rejoining.
Bassani made one of the larger steps among the front-runners, lowering his morning time by 0.707s to finish fifth on 1m35.844s. His afternoon included an extended opening run before a late change improved the feeling from the rear of the KB998 Rimini. He then produced consecutive laps of 1m35.844s and 1m35.874s.
The Italian completed 43 laps across the two sessions, more than any other rider. Alex Lowes finished seventh on the second Bimota, only 0.029s behind Bassani, after placing fourth in FP1. Lowes set his afternoon best of 1m35.873s early in a long run, but identified declining front grip as an issue to address before racing.
Alex Lowes – P7
“The track was a bit hotter, so with a little bit less grip, the bike was moving about a bit more. I enjoyed riding the bike, but I am struggling a little bit more with the front, and after ten laps, the front is sliding quite a lot. This is an area I want to focus on tomorrow.”
Barni pair prioritise race preparation
Yari Montella split the Bimotas in sixth, his 1m35.863s putting him 0.431s from the top. A battery problem cost him track time in FP1, but he recovered to ninth in that session before making further progress in the afternoon.
Barni Spark Racing concentrated on tyre management with both Montella and Álvaro Bautista, rather than attempting qualifying-style laps. Montella completed a long opening run in FP2 and set his best on lap eight, while Bautista’s 1m36.039s came on his fifth lap.
Bautista was sixth in the morning and ninth in the afternoon and combined standings. He described the day as one of his best of the season, with a small set-up change improving his feeling and further used-tyre running helping the team assess the drop-off.
Álvaro Bautista – P9
“I noticed some tyre drop-off, so we decided to keep running with the same set, putting more laps on the tyres to assess how they felt, especially towards the end of the race. I’m satisfied because we’ve understood what further adjustment we need to make tomorrow to improve the feeling even more. It was one of the best days of the season so far.”
Lorenzo Baldassarri also worked primarily towards race distance on the Go Eleven Ducati. Eighth in FP1, he improved to 1m36.160s in FP2 but finished 12th overall, 0.728s behind Bulega. The team reported no dedicated time attack, with Baldassarri seeking better rear grip and more speed over the opening laps on a fresh tyre.
Dixon wants more despite eighth
Jake Dixon improved by 0.564s between sessions to finish eighth on the Honda, 0.532s off the pace. Racing at Estoril for the first time after a recent test at the circuit, he completed 34 laps across Friday.
The result represented a place among the leading group, but Dixon’s assessment was more guarded. Bike balance and electronics remained concerns, with the Briton looking for a further step towards the top five.
Jake Dixon – P8
“Honestly, despite not being too far off the fastest time, it’s been one of the most demanding Fridays I’ve had since returning. We struggled with several aspects of the setup, particularly with the balance of the bike and the way the electronics are working. Eighth position is not that bad, but definitely not where we want to be either. We want to be fighting closer to the top five, and right now we’re still some way off.”
Somkiat Chantra was 13th overall on the second factory Honda, improving by 0.420s to a 1m36.179s. He reported progress with the electronics and an afternoon set-up change that helped rear grip. Only 0.215s separated the two Honda riders.
Garrett Gerloff recovered from a Turn Seven crash late in FP1 to finish tenth in FP2 but 11th on combined times. His 1m36.150s was just 0.003s behind the morning lap that kept Xavi Vierge inside the overall top ten, and 0.010s ahead of Baldassarri.
Sam Lowes completed the group within eight tenths in 14th, a 1m36.184s leaving him only 0.005s behind Chantra. He ran into the gravel at Turn Six late in FP2 and rejoined. Loris Baz was 15th on 1m36.486s, just 0.002s ahead of Petrucci.
Gardner cleared to race despite pain
Remy Gardner was declared fit to continue after FP1, giving the Australian the go-ahead to complete the Estoril weekend despite still being short of full fitness.
Gardner finished 15th in the morning with a 1m36.889s and improved by 0.243s in the afternoon. Even with that improvement, he slipped to 19th in the combined standings on 1m36.646s, 1.214s behind Bulega and 0.080s behind GYTR GRT Yamaha team-mate Stefano Manzi.
The Australian’s best lap came late in FP2, before a low-speed crash at Turn Nine in the closing stages. GRT reported no consequences from the fall, and Gardner said he felt well enough to carry on, although pain remained a factor for the weekend.
Remy Gardner – P19
“First of all, it’s great to be able to continue and finish the weekend. Of course, I’m still not 100% physically, so it’s going to be a tough weekend and I’ll have to deal with some pain, but I feel strong enough to race, and that’s the most important thing. The morning session wasn’t too bad, although we struggled a little more in the afternoon. We’ll now go through all the data, and I’m confident we can make some improvements. I tried to push a bit harder in Free Practice 2, but unfortunately I had a low-speed crash in the closing stages. The positive thing is that I’m feeling well enough physically to continue, so we can keep working.”
Manzi improved by 0.544s to 1m36.566s and finished 18th, with both GRT riders completing 37 laps across the day. The Italian concentrated on race pace and set-up as he continued to learn Estoril aboard the R1.
Vierge remained Yamaha’s leading rider in tenth overall courtesy of his FP1 time of 1m36.147s. Fifth in the morning, he was unable to better that mark in FP2 and finished the afternoon session 14th. Rear grip, particularly through the final sector, was the main focus, while an unusual feeling on new tyres late in the session required further analysis.
Andrea Locatelli was 17th overall on the second Pata Maxus Yamaha, his 1m36.520s placing him 1.088s off the lead. He reported a reasonable feeling from the bike but mistakes when attempting to put together a faster lap.
Tommy Bridewell finished 20th for Superbike Advocates on 1m37.026s after a morning crash at Turn Ten, from which he rejoined. He ended the day ahead of Motoxracing Yamaha riders Mattia Rato and Twan Smits. Rato improved to 1m37.319s before crashing at Turn Seven late in FP2, while Smits’ morning 1m37.763s remained his best of the day.
Saturday brings the final free practice session, Superpole qualifying and the first 21-lap race, with Race One scheduled for 15:30 local time.
WorldSBK Combined FP1/FP2 Results
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|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap |
| 1 | N. Bulega | Duc | 1m35.432 |
| 2 | A. Surra | Duc | +0.066 |
| 3 | I. Lecuona | Duc | +0.084 |
| 4 | M. Oliveira | BMW | +0.384 |
| 5 | A. Bassani | Bim | +0.412 |
| 6 | Y. Montella | Duc | +0.431 |
| 7 | A. Lowes | Bim | +0.441 |
| 8 | J. Dixon | Hon | +0.532 |
| 9 | A. Bautista | Duc | +0.607 |
| 10 | X. Vierge | Yam | +0.715 |
| 11 | G. Gerloff | Kaw | +0.718 |
| 12 | L. Baldassarri | Duc | +0.728 |
| 13 | S. Chantra | Hon | +0.747 |
| 14 | S. Lowes | Duc | +0.752 |
| 15 | L. Baz | Duc | +1.054 |
| 16 | D. Petrucci | BMW | +1.056 |
| 17 | A. Locatelli | Yam | +1.088 |
| 18 | S. Manzi | Yam | +1.134 |
| 19 | R. Gardner | Yam | +1.214 |
| 20 | T. Bridewell | Duc | +1.594 |
| 21 | M. Rato | Yam | +1.887 |
| 22 | T. Smits | Yam | +2.331 |
WorldSSP
Can Öncü claimed his fifth pole position of the season with a new World Supersport lap record at Estoril, while Oli Bayliss qualified fourth, just 0.049 seconds shy of a front-row start.
Öncü’s 1m39.011s put the Pata Yamaha Ten Kate rider 0.046 seconds ahead of Lucas Mahias, with Tom Booth-Amos completing the front row at 0.099 seconds. Bayliss headed the second row on his PTR Triumph, 0.148 seconds from pole, as Triumph filled third, fourth and fifth positions.
The session also secured Öncü the 2026 Tissot Superpole Award. His benchmark trimmed 0.031 seconds from Valentin Debise’s previous outright lap record, set during warm-up in 2025, and bettered Dominique Aegerter’s 2022 qualifying record by 0.035 seconds.
Öncü had already led morning practice with a 1m39.084s, 0.334 seconds clear of Mahias. Philipp Oettl was third in that session, ahead of Filippo Farioli and Jeremy Alcoba.
The Turkish rider set his pole lap just past the halfway point of the 40-minute qualifying session. A trip through the gravel at Turn Nine followed, but he rejoined and retained top spot as the wind strengthened.
Can Öncü – P1
“It’s a very good start to the weekend to be honest. After Cremona, we worked every day and we’ve come back stronger. The race is always different to qualifying because it’s not about one lap, it’s about consistency. We’ll see how we do tomorrow because this morning there weren’t so many riders pushing their pace. They were focusing only on improving their bikes.”
Bayliss fourth as Triumph fills three of the top five
Bayliss improved by 0.708 seconds on his morning best to record a 1m39.159s. The Australian completed 15 laps in Superpole, setting his best on lap 14 before backing it up with a 1m39.300s on his final lap.
He also recorded the fastest second sector of the session, underlining his speed through that section of the circuit. His fourth place put him immediately behind team-mate Booth-Amos and 0.038 seconds ahead of Compos Racing’s Ondrej Vostatek.
It was an encouraging step for Bayliss after injury kept him out of Magny-Cours and his return at Cremona yielded a best race result of 13th.
Vostatek’s 1m39.197s secured fifth, with Farioli sixth on the VFT Yamaha. Eric Fernandez qualified seventh for Cerba Yamaha, ahead of Aegerter and championship leader Albert Arenas. Alcoba completed the top ten, only 0.006 seconds behind Arenas.
The field was closely packed, with the first 15 riders covered by half a second and 24 riders within a second of pole. Matteo Ferrari was the leading Ducati rider in 11th, while Oettl slipped from third in practice to 15th in qualifying.
Arenas holds title advantage as Debise starts 17th
Arenas qualified ninth with a 1m39.364s on his first visit to Estoril, but the Spaniard will start eight places ahead of his remaining title rival.
Debise crashed at Turn 12 ten minutes into the session and lost around 20 minutes while his EASTROC ZXMOTO Evan Bros Factory team repaired the bike. He returned to record a 1m39.570s, leaving him 17th, 0.559 seconds from pole and one place behind team-mate Federico Caricasulo.
Debise was one of seven riders to crash during Superpole. Ondrej Konig, Andreas Kofler, Yuki Okamoto, Andrea Giombini, Simon Jespersen and Raffaele De Rosa also fell.
Arenas takes an 86-point championship lead into Saturday’s opening race and will secure the title if he loses no more than ten points to Debise. That means a podium finish will be enough even if Debise wins.
Jaume Masia faces a recovery race from 20th on the Orelac Ducati, while Roberto Garcia starts 19th. Race One is scheduled for 14:00 local time on Saturday over 18 laps.
WorldSSP Tissot Superpole
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Rider | Bike | Time/Gap | Max |
| 1 | C. Öncü | Yam | 1m39.011 | 276.2 |
| 2 | L. Mahias | Yam | +0.046 | 279.1 |
| 3 | T. Booth-Amos | Tri | +0.099 | 279.1 |
| 4 | O. Bayliss | Tri | +0.148 | 281.3 |
| 5 | O. Vostatek | Tri | +0.186 | 279.1 |
| 6 | F. Farioli | Yam | +0.238 | 276.9 |
| 7 | E. Fernandez | Yam | +0.240 | 281.3 |
| 8 | D. Aegerter | Kaw | +0.281 | 285.7 |
| 9 | A. Arenas | Yam | +0.353 | 284.2 |
| 10 | J. Alcoba | Kaw | +0.359 | 281.3 |
| 11 | M. Ferrari | Duc | +0.391 | 284.2 |
| 12 | J. Whatley | Duc | +0.434 | 278.4 |
| 13 | A. Zaccone | Duc | +0.477 | 283.5 |
| 14 | R. De Rosa | Qjm | +0.496 | 276.2 |
| 15 | P. Oettl | Duc | +0.500 | 283.5 |
| 16 | F. Caricasulo | Zxm | +0.552 | 281.3 |
| 17 | V. Debise | Zxm | +0.559 | 276.9 |
| 18 | M. Casadei | Duc | +0.559 | 285.0 |
| 19 | R. Garcia | Yam | +0.563 | 285.0 |
| 20 | J. Masia | Duc | +0.588 | 281.3 |
| 21 | S. Jespersen | Duc | +0.667 | 286.5 |
| 22 | L. Taccini | Duc | +0.750 | 284.2 |
| 23 | A. Mahendra | Yam | +0.809 | 276.2 |
| 24 | B. Jimenez | Duc | +0.851 | 286.5 |
| 25 | C. Perolari | Hon | +1.010 | 283.5 |
| 26 | B. Sofuoglu | Qjm | +1.430 | 281.3 |
| 27 | Y. Okamoto | Yam | +1.579 | 282.0 |
| 28 | O. Konig | Tri | +1.946 | 280.5 |
| 29 | S. Di Sora | Mva | +2.010 | 276.9 |
| 30 | H. Garzo | Duc | +2.183 | 282.0 |
| 31 | G. Capote | Yam | +2.227 | 275.5 |
| 32 | A. Giombini | Mva | +2.240 | 276.2 |
| 33 | A. Kofler | Yam | +2.525 | 274.8 |
| 34 | A. Carrasco | Hon | +2.919 | 279.1 |
2026 Motul FIM Superbike World Championship calendar
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|||||
|
Date
|
Country
|
Circuit
|
WorldSBK
|
WorldSSP
|
WorldSPB
|
|
20-22 Feb
|
AUS
|
Phillip Island GP
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
27-29 Mar
|
POR
|
Portimao
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
17-19 Apr
|
NED
|
TT Assen
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
1-3 May
|
HUN
|
Balaton Park
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
15-17 May
|
CZE
|
Most
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
29-31 May
|
ESP
|
MotorLand Aragon
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
12-14 Jun
|
ITA
|
Misano – Marco Simoncelli
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
10-12 Jul
|
UK
|
Donington Park
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
4-6 Sep
|
FRA
|
Nevers Magny-Cours
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
25-27 Sep
|
ITA
|
Cremona
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
9-11 Oct
|
POR
|
Estoril
|
X
|
X
|
|
|
16-18 Oct
|
ESP
|
Jerez – Angel Nieto*
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
2026 World Superbike Championship Entry List
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|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Team
|
|
I.Lecuona
|
Duc
|
Aruba.It Ducati
|
|
N.Bulega
|
Duc
|
Aruba.It Ducati
|
|
D.Petrucci
|
BMW
|
ROKiT BMW Motorrad
|
|
M.Oliveira
|
BMW
|
ROKiT BMW Motorrad
|
|
A.Locatelli
|
Yam
|
Pata Maxus Yamaha
|
|
X.Vierge
|
Yam
|
Pata Maxus Yamaha
|
|
Y.Montella
|
Duc
|
Barni Spark
|
|
A.Bautista
|
Duc
|
Barni Spark
|
|
A.Lowes
|
Bim
|
bimota by Kawasaki
|
|
A.Bassani
|
Bim
|
bimota by Kawasaki
|
|
S.Chantra
|
Hon
|
Honda HRC
|
|
J.Dixon
|
Hon
|
Honda HRC
|
|
S.Manzi
|
Yam
|
GYTR GRT Yamaha
|
|
R.Gardner
|
Yam
|
GYTR GRT Yamaha
|
|
S.Lowes
|
Duc
|
ELF Marc VDS
|
|
L.Baldassarri
|
Duc
|
Goeleven
|
|
T.Mackenzie
|
Duc
|
MGM Racing
|
|
G.Gerloff
|
Kaw
|
Kawasaki WorldSBK
|
|
A.Surra
|
Duc
|
Motocorsa
|
|
M.Rato
|
Yam
|
Motoxracing
|
|
B.Sofuoglu
|
Yam
|
Motoxracing
|
|
A.Iannone
|
Duc
|
Cainam Racing
|
