Franco Morbidelli will complete his MotoGP career at the end of the 2026 season. In 2027, he will participate in races with Aruba.it Racing – Ducati in WorldSBK. Ducati has officially announced the last rider in the 2027 WorldSBK lineup. Franco Morbidelli, who has competed in nine seasons in MotoGP, will join the factory-supported Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team in the coming year and will be a teammate to Iker Lecuona. The Italian rider will replace Nicolo Bulega in MotoGP.
Morbidelli's Career History
At the beginning of his career, Franco Morbidelli was the first official member of the 'VR46 Riders Academy' under the sponsorship of Valentino Rossi. The Italian rider took an unconventional path in his transition to MotoGP; he entered Grand Prix racing via Moto2 instead of Moto3. He seized this opportunity after his success in the 2013 European Superstock Championship.
After winning his first podium with Italtrans, Morbidelli achieved multiple championships in 2016. He followed this by collecting nine Grand Prix victories in the 2017 season. In 2018, Morbidelli, who transitioned to MotoGP with Marc VDS, spent a challenging season on a Honda motorcycle before being selected to compete in the new Petronas Yamaha project. In 2019, unexpectedly, Morbidelli, who was behind teammate Fabio Quartararo, finished the season as the second place World Champion after winning three Grand Prix races.
New Role in WorldSBK
Although Morbidelli represents a step forward in his career, it is stated that a podium finish can only be achieved once. However, finishing seventh in the championship signifies the best season result since 2020. He struggled to replicate podium performances with the Ducati GP25 satellite team; his third place in the Jerez Sprint under wet conditions was a noteworthy result. Furthermore, he achieved a top-ten finish for the first time. The 31-year-old rider aims to utilize his Michelin experience in the new WorldSBK start and will be a teammate to Iker Lecuona from MotoGP.
Morbidelli said about his transition to WorldSBK:
I am very happy and excited for this new chapter in my career. I thank Ducati and Aruba for giving me this opportunity.
Morbidelli stated that he will do his best to meet the expectations of the team that won the Superbike World Championship. He aims to achieve great results by demonstrating top performance. The Italian rider's technical knowledge from his long MotoGP experience will become even more important with the transition to Michelin tires in WorldSBK in 2027. The Italian rider will begin his WorldSBK career as one of Ducati's most experienced riders and enter a new technical era.
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- Archive: Franco Morbidelli's transition to WorldSBK was highlighted (September 28, 2026)
Compiled from 3 sources covering the same story.
Compiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
