Nicolo Bulega set the pace in both Friday free-practice sessions at Jerez, making the strongest possible start to the final WorldSBK round of the season. Iker Lecuona has nevertheless dismissed Bulega’s chances of converting that speed into a win during the race weekend. The Ducati rider’s performance still established him as the reference point after the opening day.

Bulega’s Friday also included an unusually distracting moment. A bee entered his leathers at Turn 8 and stayed around his neck for roughly two laps. Bulega said he lost two laps of concentration while dealing with it and carried on after he began to feel pain. The incident made an otherwise straightforward time-sheet result considerably less routine for the rider.

The FP2 conditions presented a more conventional challenge. Track temperature climbed above 40°C, while Bulega described the grip as low and the asphalt as insufficiently clean, with limited rubber on the surface. In his assessment, those conditions made it difficult to find both a reliable pace and an effective bike set-up.

FP2 was interrupted by a red flag after Jake Dixon crashed at Turn 9. The impact punctured the air fence, so the session had to pause while the barrier was repaired. Once running resumed, Bulega deliberately spent a little longer in the garage rather than going straight back out, aiming to reach the end of the session with his tyres in good condition. He also focused on preparing the bike for a 21-lap race, as he explained afterwards. Friday therefore delivered the headline pace, but grip and tyre management remain important factors for the rest of the weekend.