Franco Morbidelli is preparing for a new stage in his career and aims to move to WorldSBK. The Italian rider expressed his happiness and excitement for this new chapter and thanked Ducati and Aruba.
Career Highlights
At the beginning of his career, Franco Morbidelli was the first official member of the 'VR46 Riders Academy' under the supervision of Valentino Rossi. However, Morbidelli took an unusual route to reach MotoGP; instead of competing in Moto3, he entered Grand Prix via Moto2. He seized this opportunity with the victory he achieved in the 2013 European Superstock Championship.
MotoGP Performances
Morbidelli, who achieved his first podium with Italtrans the following season, moved to the Marc VDS team, which had won multiple championships. He then cemented his place in the world championship in third place and made an impact in the 2017 season, securing nine Grand Prix victories throughout the season. In 2018, after moving to MotoGP with Marc VDS, Morbidelli was selected to compete in the new Petronas Yamaha project after a difficult season on a Honda motorcycle. In 2019, Morbidelli, who was behind his teammate Fabio Quartararo in an unexpected manner, made a strong comeback in 2020, finishing as the second world champion after Joan Mir.
Latest Period and New Goals
In the 2021 season, a podium was achieved. However, after Maverick Viñales moved to the factory Yamaha team, he had to wait three years for the next MotoGP podium. Morbidelli's return to the podium occurred in the 2024 Misano Sprint race with Pramac Ducati. At the beginning of this season, he suffered serious head injuries in a crash during superbike training. With Pramac moving to Yamaha, as Morbidelli returned to the motorcycle he had struggled with in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Italian rider finally joined the factory team of VR46 at the beginning of last year. Although the three podiums signal a new rise in his career, Morbidelli only managed to achieve a podium once more. Nevertheless, finishing seventh in the championship was the best result since 2020. This season, he struggled to replicate his podium performance with the satellite team Ducati GP25; the most noteworthy result was his third place in the rain-affected Jerez Sprint. Otherwise, he managed to score in the top 10 for the first time.
Statements
The 31-year-old rider aims to use his Michelin experience in his new start in WorldSBK. Morbidelli will be teamed up with Iker Lecuona, another name from MotoGP. Regarding his move to WorldSBK, he said:
I am very happy and excited for this new chapter in my career. I thank Ducati and Aruba for giving me this opportunity. As always, I will do my best to meet the expectations of a team that has been fighting at the top for years and has recently won the World Superbike Championship. I will put forth my best effort to achieve great results together.
Figures
- Archive: Franco Morbidelli signals his move to WorldSBK (September 28, 2026)
Compiled from 2 sources covering the same story.
Compiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
