Franco Morbidelli will continue his Ducati MotoGP education switching from Pramac to Valentino Rossi’s VR46 squad for the 2025 campaign.

Morbidelli is a long-standing member of the VR46 Riders Academy and was the first World Champion of Rossi’s mentees when he achieved Moto2 title glory in 2017 with MarcVDS racing.

The Italian graduated to MotoGP the following year with MarcVDS and Honda machinery before switching to Yamaha and the Petronas SRT satellite squad in 2019.

In 2020, Morbidelli had his best MotoGP season to date, winning three races and finishing second in the championship.

Despite a mid-season call-up to the factory Yamaha outfit in 2021, Morbidelli couldn’t recover his 2020 form amid injury setbacks.

As Yamaha’s bike suffered in terms of competitiveness, Morbidelli found it harder to recapture form, prompting a switch to the Pramac Ducati set-up with a factory spec GP24 machine this year.

Another injury setback suffered in pre-season has hampered his progress, but 10 top-10 finishes across Sprints and Grands Prix show the Italian is working back towards his best.

With Pramac signing a multi-year partnership with Yamaha starting in 2025, it was clear that Morbidelli would be looking elsewhere for a ride and he will pilot a GP24 next year in VR46 colours, joining fellow Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio, who will ride a GP25.

“I am really happy to be able to confirm that Franco will race with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team in 2025,” said Alessio Salucci, Team Director of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing.

“Franco was the first rider to enter the VR46 Riders Academy, we have known him since years, we have seen him grow in Tavullia and today, with great satisfaction, we can say that he will join the crew starting from the next season.

“He is a rider of great talent, we can’t wait to welcome him and let him enjoy the family and home atmosphere that distinguishes us.

“He will continue to race with a Ducati, a Desmosedici GP24, and we are sure he will be able to fight with the group of the strongest guys.

“Once again, I can only thank Ducati for the support both in human and technical terms and all our partners, Pertamina Lubricants among all, who support this incredible project”.

Morbidelli added “What a beautiful story! I am very happy to announce that I have signed with the VR46 Racing Team for the 2025 season.

“I will definitely feel at home here, I really want to do well and repay, with good results, this trust both for myself and for all the crew.

“I want to go back in the years and rejoice again with the whole group.

“A heartfelt thanks to the entire VR46 Riders Academy and to my management. Vale, Carlo, Uccio, Albi and Gianluca. Friends, but also key figures in the VR46 reality. I can’t wait to start this new adventure together.”

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VR46 Ducati team boss Alessio Salucci has expressed admiration towards the potential to work with Franco Morbidelli amid speculation he could switch to the team.

With Marco Bezzecchi having penned a deal to come in alongside title contender Jorge Martin in an all-new line-up at Aprilia, it is unknown who will replace the Italian.

But with the announcement that Pramac has formulated a long-term technical partnership with Yamaha from next term, Morbidelli has been tipped to depart the side.

Morbidelli’s previous affiliation with the VR46 Academy and a strong relationship with Valentino Rossi indicate there is a viable chance that the switch will materialise.

Salucci expressed to Autosport he is interested in obtaining Bezzecchi’s signature for 2025, as he heaped praise on the 2020 championship runner-up’s capabilities.

Salucci said: “I would love to! I love him so much, so I would love to work with him and I have been saying this for a long time.

“Maybe next year could be the one where it becomes a reality.

“Yes, we would give a chance to another guy from the Academy, but it is still a long way off because there are so many things to fit together. I would love to, but let’s wait a few more weeks.”

Autosport indicates that if Morbidelli leaves VR46 in 2025, the Italian will continue riding the GP24 he currently rides with Pramac.

With official confirmation expected to be announced later this season, Autosport reports that Ducati will field only three GP25s and that Fabio Di Giannantonio will ride the final one with VR46.

It is suggested that Ducati have reduced the current-spec bikes to “keep costs under control”.

This news came after Pramac ended its affiliation with Ducati in favour of Yamaha, meaning the remaining six bikes will have an even split of this year’s spec GP24s and up-to-date GP25s.

VR46 are happily vocal that it has been provided with one GP25 but rather would have both riders occupying the up-to-date spec bikes.

“We have a super team and some awesome guys, we will never be a factory team because we don’t build bikes, but when the riders come they find a fantastic situation,” Salucci told Autosport.

“Even [Ducati MotoGP chief] Gigi Dall’Igna compliments us on the management. In fact they chose us as a reference team, starting from 2025 because Pramac left, but Ducati had already chosen us for 2027 as a reference team, independently of Pramac.”

“In the GP25, I don’t really agree with Dall’Igna, because we will have only one updated bike, while I would have wanted two as we have always done.

“But unfortunately or fortunately it is Ducati who decides, we will have one and we will make do with it.

“We will try to make it work in the best way, even if the other manufacturers are organised with four and we have three. But this will become even more unique because there will be two red ones and one of ours.”

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The Pramac Ducati MotoGP outfit became the final operation to unveil its 2024 design in an online launch on Wednesday evening ahead of next weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix season opener.

The Italian team has opted to go bold for its 2024 paint scheme, ditching the white it has long utilized for a purely purple and red look. The design is similar to the one featured on its 2023 Ducati’s, without the white sections dotted around the machine.  

The extra purple reflects the ongoing support of title sponsor Prima, the Insurance company treated to a strong 2023 campaign with the outfit that saw it battle for the overall title with Jorge Martin.

The Spaniard remains with the operation for this year running the #89, while Franco Morbidelli joins him having replaced the LCR Honda-bound Johann Zarco. He will continue to campaign the #21 he utilized at Yamaha for the past two and a half seasons.  

Having missed out on the 2023 title to factory Ducati star Francesco Bagnaia, who secured his second consecutive championship, Martin will be hoping to out the experience of fighting for the premier class title for the first time to break his duck.

Pramac is also on a mission to defend its teams crown, which it secured for the first time in its history by a commanding 91 points over the factory squad.

Morbidelli meanwhile will be keen to put a couple of tough terms with Yamaha behind him, his last rostrum finish coming at Jerez nearly three years ago when he was running with the satellite Petronas SRT Yamaha team. He has also failed to breach the top ten in riders points since 2020 when he finished as vice-champion to Suzuki rider Joan Mir.

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Franco Morbidelli and Raul Fernandez have had to skip this week’s official MotoGP pre-season test at Sepang after suffering injuries in separate crashes.

Pramac Ducati rider Morbidelli’s plan to learn his new steed took a hit after suffering a nasty crash during a private test in Portimao last week. Riding a Ducati superbike at the time, the Italian was knocked unconscious in the high-speed crash at Turn 9 of the Portuguese venue.

His Pramac team delayed his medical examination as long as possible in the hope he could take to the controls of his Ducati GP24 at Sepang, though having undergone several CT scans, he was unfortunately ruled out of any riding for three weeks.

His three-week layoff will also mean he misses the final pre-season test in Qatar, meaning the next time he will be in action will be for the opening round of the 2024 term at Lusail in early March.

Trackhouse Aprilia pilot Fernandez meanwhile saw his Sepang test end before it barely got started, the Spaniard crashing his RS-GP at Turn 11 on Tuesday morning. While escaping serious injury, he did suffer some heavy bruising to his pelvis and hip.

To prevent making the injury any worse ahead of the opening round, Fernandez elected to fly home and focus on returning for the two-day Qatar test in a couple of weeks’ time. Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori will step in for Fernandez for the remainder of the test, allowing the new Trackhouse squad to continue racking up the mileage ahead of its maiden premier class campaign.

“First of all, I would like to say sorry to Aprilia and our Trackhouse Racing MotoGP Team,” said Fernandez.

“This morning in my first laps I had a big crash because of the track conditions. Honestly, I didn’t expect that coming. But because of that crash, I won’t be able to continue this test here in Sepang.

“I feel really, really bad, because we won’t have the chance to continue to understand the new bike better and to learn how it feels. For me, it’s just going to be important now to recover well and to rest.

“To ride the bike like this is not safe for me, so I need to focus on my recovery and try to be at 100% in the Qatar Test to do all the work we planned to do here. Again, I want to say sorry to Aprilia and the team.”

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Franco Morbidelli’s torrid time aboard the Factory Yamaha in MotoGP is set to come to an end, as the Italian rider has been snapped up by Pramac Ducati for the 2024 season.

Morbidelli – a prospect of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Academy – will ride alongside current championship contender Jorge Martin within the Ducati satellite outfit, with both riders getting their hands on the latest Bologna Bullet available, namely the GP24.

This will bring about an end to Morbidelli’s relationship with Japanese manufacturer Yamaha, with whom he has been placed in the factory set-up since 2021 and Alex Rins is set to take his place.

A year prior to that, Morbidelli finished runner-up in the MotoGP Championship aboard the Petronas Yamaha SRT bike – winning three races.

That was enough to earn the 2017 Moto2 champion a promotion to the factory set up part-way through the 2021 season to replace Maverick Vinales.

However, Morbidelli’s time aboard the factory M1 has been difficult, to say the least.

A knee injury that required surgery and time on the sidelines in 2021 hampered Morbidelli’s progression and for whatever reason the Italian rider has never quite gelled with the Yamaha since.

Compounding matters has been Yamaha’s rapid drop in performance relative to rival machinery, particularly this year, with not only Morbidelli, but his 2021 champion teammate Fabio Quartararo also struggling.

There have been some highlights during Morbidelli’s factory Yamaha tenure though, including an impressive fourth-place finish in Argentina earlier this year.

That, and the class Morbidelli has shown in years gone by is enough for Pramac Ducati to take a chance on him – and the Italian will be able to ride the latest edition of the most competitive package in MotoGP – and those within Pramac and Ducati are delighted to have signed his services.

“I am very happy that Franco is joining our family for 2024,” said Prima Pramac Racing Team Principal Paolo Campinoti in a statement on the team’s website.

“I have an excellent relationship with him, and he has proven to be a champion on many occasions.

“I am confident that in our team, he will find the right conditions to fight for the positions he deserves.”

Prima Pramac Racing Team Manager Gino Borsoi echoed Campinoti’s statement, saying “It is an honor to have the opportunity to work with a champion like Franco.

“I have great confidence in him and his talent.

“I am sure he will feel very comfortable in our team, and together, we will achieve great results.”

The addition of Morbidelli at Pramac means another Grand Prix-winning rider has joined the Ducati ranks and the marque’s General Manager Luigi Dall’Igna is “confident” he will do well on a Desmosedici GP.

“It is a pleasure for us to welcome Franco Morbidelli to our factory-supported Pramac Racing team for the upcoming sports season,” he said.

“Franco is a rider of great talent and experience, and on more than one occasion, he has demonstrated his strength and speed.

“It’s no coincidence that in 2020, he was the MotoGP vice-world champion, winning three Grand Prix races.

“We are confident that, together with the  Prima Pramac Racing team and thanks to our support, he will be able to show his full potential. We look forward to embarking on this new exciting adventure together.”

This news means that Gresini is the only Ducati outfit left to settle on its rider lineup for 2024.

Alex Marquez has been confirmed to remain with the Gresini squad next year, but Fabio di Giannantonio looks set to lose his seat with the team, with HRC riders Marc Marquez and Joan Mir rumoured to be interested in riding aboard a Ducati.

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Franco Morbidelli admitted he was already “questioning myself” over whether to stay at Yamaha’s MotoGP outfit after this season before the manufacturer made his decision “easier” by axing him.

Following tough 2021 and ’22 campaigns – the former blighted by a nasty knee injury that forced him out for several races – the Italian was firmly under pressure coming into ’23, Morbidelli thus far having an up-and-down year with strong performances – such as a pair of fourth placings in Argentina – peppered with weekends where he once again trailed far behind team-mate Fabio Quartararo.

With Morbidelli also left feeling uneasy about his potential future within the marque as it struggled to make progress with its M1, the brand promptly signed current LCR Honda ace Alex Rins during the summer break to join Quartararo next year – leaving Morbidelli out in the cold.

The 2020 premier class vice-champion explained that the sub-par ’23-specification M1 twinned with the fact he knew Yamaha was already talking with other riders to replace him “reduced the magic”, which lead to him “questioning myself” whether he even wanted to remain at Yamaha prior to it electing to sign Rins instead.

“It’s been quite a journey with Yamaha, we’ve been together basically my whole career and I’ve had some great results, especially in the early part,” said Morbidelli ahead of the British Grand Prix.

“The last two seasons have not been great I have to say, but I’ve met a lot of nice people and I’ve got a great relationship with a lot of people inside the team and for sure I’ll stay close to them personally even if technically we’ll be apart.  

“Of course it’s no secret that we’re not performing well and the package is not on par to achieve great results at the moment.

“So it’s no secret that because of that – and also because the factory was speaking with other riders – reduced the magic for sure, as I said before do I want to stay with Yamaha?

“I was questioning myself for sure, but I have to say the team made it easier for me by not renewing me and going with Alex Rins, who is a great rider, so this help with changing (my situation) is happening right now.”

Morbidelli conceded that he is currently in an “uncomfortable position” with very few premier class rides left on the table for ’24, but insisted that remaining within the MotoGP was his chief aim with the help of his management team VR46.

“I’m in a bit of an uncomfortable position because I have no seat for next year at the moment, but that can be an extra motivation for the second half of the season,” added Morbidelli.

“Yeah, that’s my aim (staying in MotoGP for 2024), I feel strong and am experienced, I’m 28 so relatively young and I’ve had some great emotions in this category with the chance to fight for the championship without even realising it as it was a training season.”

“I’d like to experience that again and am working to find it once again, and I’m sure that VR46, the team and my management is going to help me to redeem myself and go back to fighting for interesting spots.”

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VR46 Ducati Team Manager Pablo Nieto has admitted that Franco Morbidelli is “on our minds” for a potential berth with the squad for 2024 amid rumours he could leave Yamaha.

Morbidelli set tongues wagging after last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix following comments he made to MotoGP.com regarding his future with the Japanese marque, Morbidelli giving a cryptic short answer of “who says I want to stay at Yamaha” before remarking that the media should “ask Lin (Jarvis, Yamaha Managing Director)” about the future partnership between the two parties.

Reports have also indicated in recent days that in-form current VR46 rider Marco Bezzecchi could well be set to move to the Pramac Ducati outfit for 2024 on one of its up-to-date spec Desmosedici’s, the Italian running a year-old machine with VR46 this year – which would open up a seat with the Valentino Rossi-owned operation should the move come off.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s German GP, Nieto insisted that the team’s preferred option would be to keep its current line-up for the ’24 campaign, though admitted that the potentially on-the-market Morbidelli is “on our minds.”

“We’re still working, it’s true that we are happy with our riders as they are both doing as really nice job this year, so our idea is to keep them as its important for us to continue as we are only two years old and it is still quite early for us,” explained Nieto.

“At the end of the day the idea is that when riders come to our team we are working to allow them to reach the factory team, this is our goal and it would show we are doing a really good job and that the rider’s are really fast.

“I think Frankie (Morbidelli) is a very fast rider and we’ve seen him make amazing races in the past and of course he’s part of the (VR46) academy, but our main aim is to try and keep our current riders – but it’s true that we like it because Franco with our team and our bike could allow us to do a very good job.

“It’s another option, but at the moment we have to keep pushing for our ideas, but it’s true that Franco is on our mind.”

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Franco Morbidelli rued that he was “really sorry” to lose out on a first MotoGP podium in nearly two years, having lost the spot in the latter stages of the Argentina Grand Prix.

The factory Yamaha racer enjoyed his most competitive event in some time at the Termas de Rio Hondo having been a regular fixture within the top five all weekend, the Italian having qualified fourth before then securing the same position in Saturday afternoon’s sprint race – all the while outpacing team-mate Fabio Quartararo.

Morbidelli was then the only rider to keep up with the leading Ducati contingent in the wet Argentina GP in fourth, which then became third after reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia crashed out eight laps from home.

He held the spot until an agonising two tours from the end after a charging Johann Zarco moved clear on his Ducati, limiting Morbidelli to fourth – the 2020 MotoGP vice-champion admitting he was “very sorry” to have lost out on a rostrum result so late on having “smelled it” in both the sprint and GP contests.

“I was really sorry to see that Johann (Zarco) was catching up, I gave everything to keep the podium spot but I couldn’t,” explained Morbidelli.

“It was a pity because I smelled it yesterday and also today, but couldn’t get it, but in any case it’s a great weekend for me and we have to take it and build up from it.”

Despite being crestfallen having lost out on a first podium finish since the 2021 Spanish GP, Morbidelli was still left “very happy” to have featured towards the front of the field across the entirety of the weekend having struggled for form since joining Yamaha’s factory squad towards the end of the 2021 term.

“I’m very happy, we had different conditions and situations (across weekend) and we were able to perform well on all occasions, so we will take that,” continued the 2017 Moto2 world champion.

“We know we have to work on some areas, but the team is on it and really wanting to recover the ground, so I’m happy overall.

“We need to see what happens in Austin, the feeling I had this weekend was good so hopefully I can have it there too.”

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Yamaha became the first MotoGP outfit to unleash the 2023 paint scheme that will adorn its prototype this season, the manufacturer revealing as largely unchanged livery.

With the marque retaining its 2022 rider line-up of last year’s vice-champion Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, the aim of the game for Yamaha is consistency going forward from an external view – the brand instead focussing its attentions on the M1 to try and recover the ground it lost to the likes of Ducati and Aprilia in the development race last year.

Unveiled in Jakarta at Yamaha Indonesia Motor Manufacturing’s yearly meeting, the 2023 livery retains the same largely blue and black based scheme with heavy branding from title sponsor Monster Energy, with the stripy design from ’22 morphing into one with a camouflaged-looking base – Yamaha making its intentions for war visibly clear.

It also features greater branding from tools supplier Beta, the Italian company getting a small orange decal just to the side of the riders windscreen.

Yamaha Motorsports Development general manager Takahiro Sumi insisted that the manufacturer’s racing operation have been “working tirelessly” to return to title glory after Quartararo narrowly missed out securing a second successive crown to Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia last year – with the updates it has brought for the M1 leaving Sumi confident of a championship challenge in 2023.

“Since the Valencia Test, YMC’s Motorsports Development Division worked tirelessly to make further steps. Using the feedback of riders and the team, we have made improvements with the aim to contend for the MotoGP World Title again this year,” said Sumi.

“We are starting this season with a blank slate and a positive mindset. We know that the level of MotoGP is higher than ever, and with 42 races the demands on the riders and the bikes reach new levels, but we are ready for the challenge.

“Fabio Quartararo, Franco Morbidelli, and their factory team crews are fully motivated, so we are expecting lots of exciting racing to delight MotoGP fans around the world.”

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Yamaha MotoGP Team Manager Massimo Meregalli reckons his squad’s approach to “not make a revolution” to its M1 prototype is proving to be the correct decision in 2022.

The Japanese manufacturer has sustained a mixed campaign thus far, with reigning premier class world champion Fabio Quartararo currently on target to score a second straight title as he leads the standings by 21 points over Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro with nine events remaining while team-mate Franco Morbidelli sits a lowly 19^th overall having scored just a sole top ten finish.

Despite the Italian’s problems, Yamaha currently reside second in both the teams and constructors tables – a fact that Meregalli reckons illustrates that the brand’s philosophy to “not make a revolution” with its bike is bearing fruit.

Meregalli believes the fact Yamaha can start every race with plenty of relevant information is helping it maximise each weekend, though he conceded the M1’s lack of straight-line prowess was proving troublesome – Meregalli revealing the operation is set to bring an upgrade to the next race at Silverstone to try and improve the machine in this area.   

“Our philosophy has always been to not make a revolution, and this year we are proving this based on what we have,” explained Meregalli.

“We are starting all the GP’s with a lot of information and we are trying to improve upon what was already very good, we have a good amount of room to improve the top speed, but during the season you cannot (do much.)

“We are hoping to bring something new for Silverstone, but apart from that our bike has some really strong points but unfortunately at the moment only Fabio (Quartararo) is able to exploit them in the best way.

“We want to go race by race (for rest of season) but our aim is always the same, to be consistent and treat all the races like the first.”  

Meregalli picked out the season-opening encounter in Qatar as one of the outfit’s “lowest points” of the campaign after struggling to ninth and 11^th with Quartararo and Morbidelli at a venue it has traditionally excelled at, though says he is “extremely satisfied” that the Frenchman is leading the riders standings despite not starting “in the way we wanted.”

“It’s been a bit of a mix, because on one side we are extremely satisfied and happy because even though we didn’t start in the way we wanted but we started to improve our performance and results,” continued Meregalli.

“Leading the championship before the break was something we wanted, we are achieving this and it is very important.

“We are struggling on the other side of the garage because we’ve had a tough year with Frankie (Morbidelli), but he has a strong belief and we are sure we will get him back to where he should be.

“Barcelona was a good point for us, because we announced the renewal (with Quartararo) and then won the race and we had a really good test on the Monday.

“The Sachsenring was also great because the way he (Quartararo) won the race was superb, though Le Mans was a disappointment for us because we had a different expectation and we couldn’t achieve our aim.

“Qatar also (was a low point) because there we have always been fast, and being the first race of the season we wanted to perform as we are used to doing and we couldn’t, that for me was one of the lowest points of the season.”

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