Pirelli Portuguese Round Superpole

Nicolò Bulega snatched a dramatic pole position on Saturday, March 28, 2026, by outpacing his teammate in the final seconds of the session. Bulega’s objective was to overhaul a massive marker laid down by Iker Lecuona, who had set a new all-time lap record early in his second stint.

On his very last flying lap, Bulega clocked a staggering 1'38.495, besting Lecuona by 0.142 seconds and becoming the first Italian rider in WorldSBK history to record more than 10 career pole positions. The session resulted in an all-Ducati front row, as Yari Montella secured third place, marking his second consecutive front-row start of the season.

Miguel Oliveira maintained a strong pace to finish fourth, delighting the local fans by being faster than the previous lap record, though he was forced to settle for a second-row start alongside Sam Lowes and Xavi Vierge. The top ten was completed by the Lowes brothers, Lorenzo Baldassarri, Danilo Petrucci, and Axel Bassani, with the top six riders all remarkably within seven-tenths of Bulega's record-shattering pace.