Franco Morbidelli
Franco Morbidelli is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer in MotoGP class, riding for Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team team. He became champion in the 2013 European Superstock 600 Championship, and the 2017 Moto2 World Championship.
Early life
Franco Morbidelli was born in Rome to a Brazilian mother, Cristina, and an Italian father, Livio Morbidelli, the latter of whom is a former motorcycle racer, finishing runner-up in the 80 cc and 125 cc classes of the Italian national championships. Livio recognized his son's potential from a young age but did not have the resources to support a racing career. Through an old racing companion Graziano Rossi, father of 9-time world champion Valentino Rossi, Livio Morbidelli learned of the motorcycle training hotbed in Tavullia. The family sold their home in Rome and moved to Tavullia to support Franco's race career ambitions. This training with Rossi became the precursor to what is now known as the VR46 Academy for racers, of which Morbidelli later became the first official member. Despite the common misconception, he is not related to Giancarlo Morbidelli, manufacturer of the Morbidelli Grand Prix racing bikes, or his son, former Italian F1 driver Gianni Morbidelli. In January 2013, Morbidelli's father committed suicide.Career
Early career
As a teen, Morbidelli was poised to enter the Spanish CEV 125cc championship, one of the main feeder series for a Grand Prix motorcycle career. However a lack of funding prevented him from entering, and he instead found a ride in the European Superstock 600 championship for 2011. Staying in the series for 2012, and 2013, Morbidelli got seat at Team Italia aboard a Kawasaki, for a third season in the class in 2013, ultimately winning the championship with two wins and three 2nd places.Moto2 World Championship
Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 (2013)
As a result of his success in the Superstock championship, Morbidelli earned a place as a wild-card entry rider for Gresini in three rounds of the Moto2 championship. He did not score any points in the three races, finishing 20th in Misano, 18th in Japan, and 17th in Valencia.Italtrans Racing Team (2014–2015)
Morbidelli joined the Moto2 class full-time in 2014 with the Italtrans Racing Team, and outscored his more experienced teammate and former 125cc Champion Julián Simón, finishing with 75 points compared to Simón's 56. He stayed with the team in 2015, and got his first podium, a 3rd place finish, at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. He ended the season 10th in the standings, with 90 points.EG 0,0 Marc VDS (2016–2017)
In 2016, he joined the Marc VDS Racing Team, partnering Álex Márquez. After a slow start, he finished the season strongly with five consecutive podium finishes, eight podiums in total, and finished 4th in the standings, with 213 points. For 2017, he was a favourite for the title and took his first win at the opening race at Qatar accordingly. He won a total of eight races during the season, with an additional four podium finishes, as he won the 2017 Moto2 World Championship with Marc VDS in the Malaysian GP, after his closest championship contender Thomas Lüthi was declared unfit for the Malaysian race, following a crash at qualifying.MotoGP World Championship
EG 0,0 Marc VDS (2018)
Morbidelli moved up the MotoGP class in 2018, still with the Marc VDS team on a Honda bike, the 2017-spec Honda RC213V. He was partnered by his 2017 Moto2 title rival Thomas Lüthi, who failed to score a single point that season, on the same machinery. Morbidelli finished the season in 15th place with 50 points, four points ahead of Hafizh Syahrin on the Tech3 Yamaha, thus winning rookie of the year.Petronas Yamaha SRT (2019–2021)
For 2019, as Marc VDS left the premier class, Morbidelli signed with the newly formed Petronas SRT team on a two-year deal to ride an "A-spec" satellite Yamaha alongside rookie Fabio Quartararo. With 115 points, he finished 10th in the riders' championship, finishing in the top ten point scoring places regularly.Just before the delayed start to the 2020 season, Petronas SRT announced that Morbidelli had been signed on a further two-year deal, meaning he would stay with the team. In this season, Morbidelli was riding a 2019-spec Yamaha, while his team-mate Fabio Quartararo, rode a factory-spec Yamaha. In August 2020, at the Austrian Grand Prix, Morbidelli's motorcycle collided with that of Johann Zarco while the two fought through turn 2. Despite the dramatic crash which resulted in a red flag, Morbidelli was unharmed. He achieved his first MotoGP podium at the Czech round and his first victory just three races later, at his home race in Rimini. He took his second career win at the Teruel Grand Prix, setting a new track race lap record on the way, and solidifying himself as a contender for the riders' championship. At the following European Grand Prix, Morbidelli struggled in qualifying and then in the race, battling rising tire pressures, ultimately limping home in 11th, while title rival Joan Mir took his first career win, all but extinguishing Morbidelli's title hopes. At the second Valencia round the following week, Morbidelli bounced back to take his second career pole position and converted it to his third career win, staving off a last lap attack from Jack Miller. Mir finished in 7th place, sufficient to clinch the championship ahead of Morbidelli. At the final round in Portugal, Morbidelli finished the season with his fifth podium of the season, to end the championship as runner-up to Mir by 13 points.
For 2021, Morbidelli's teammate was the VR46 Academy owner Valentino Rossi. During the first half season, Morbidelli rode the 2020 "A-spec" Yamaha and took his first podium at Jerez, finishing third. After the German Grand Prix, Morbidelli injured his knee in a training accident and was unable to race at Assen when he was substituted by Yamaha World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff, and the Styrian event in Austria by Yamaha factory tester Cal Crutchlow. Morbidelli's recovery was slow and he was replaced by Jake Dixon who rode Morbidelli's machine for the British Grand Prix race in August, and again at Aragón in September.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP (2021–2023)
During Morbidelli's rehabilitation, it was announced that he would move up to the factory Yamaha Motor Racing team for the rest of 2021, and also through 2022, officially replacing the vacated seat left by Maverick Viñales who was abruptly sacked by the team in August 2021. Morbidelli’s seat at the satellite Yamaha team was taken over by Andrea Dovizioso, who returned to the sport after a racing break and some test riding with Aprilia. After Morbidelli was deemed healthy enough to race by doctors, he returned to the championship on an unfamiliar bike, after missing five race weekends. This showed in his results, finishing in the points just twice in the season's last five races, ending the year 17th in the standings, with 47 points. For the 2022 MotoGP World Championship, Morbidelli was partnered by old teammate, the reigning World Champion Fabio Quartararo at the Yamaha Motor Racing team.Prima Pramac Racing (2024)
Morbidelli officially joined Pramac Ducati starting the 2024 season. He will accompany Jorge Martín at this team who uses the latest Ducati motorbike. Meanwhile, his position at Monster Energy Yamaha is known to have been replaced by Álex Rins. The certainty of Morbidelli's move to Pramac Ducati was also confirmed after Marco Bezzecchi's refusal to move to Pramac. In a season largely marked by his adaption to the Ducati, Morbidelli finished the 2024 campaign in 9th place, whilst taking his first sprint race podium at the San Marino Grand Prix.VR46 Racing Team (2025–present)
For the 2025 season, Morbidelli moved to the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, still riding with the Ducati Desmosedici GP24, where he partners Fabio Di Giannantonio.Morbidelli is set to remain with the VR46 Racing Team alongside Di Giannantonio for the 2026 season.
Career statistics
FIM European Superstock 600 Championship
By season
By class
Races by year
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos | Pts |
| 2011 | Yamaha | ASS | MNZ 4 | MIS Ret | ARA | BRN | SIL | NÜR | IMO 6 | MAG | POR 7 | 17th | 32 |
| 2012 | Yamaha | IMO 7 | ASS | MNZ 9 | MIS 15 | ARA | BRN 6 | SIL 7 | NÜR 3 | POR 5 | MAG 5 | 6th | 74 |
| 2013 | Kawasaki | ARA 6 | ASS 7 | MNZ 6 | POR 1 | IMO 2 | SIL1 4 | SIL2 14 | NÜR 1 | MAG 2 | JER 2 | 1st | 154 |
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
By class
Races by year
| Year | Class | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | Pos | Pts |
| Moto2 | Suter | QAT | AME | SPA | FRA | ITA | CAT | NED | GER | INP | CZE | GBR | RSM 20 | ARA | MAL | AUS | JPN 18 | VAL 17 | NC | 0 | ||||||
| Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 25 | AME 17 | ARG 13 | SPA 20 | FRA 10 | ITA 10 | CAT 21 | NED 24 | GER 6 | INP Ret | CZE 8 | GBR 6 | RSM 7 | ARA 5 | JPN 7 | AUS 13 | MAL Ret | VAL 21 | 11th | 75 | |||||
| Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 5 | AME 5 | ARG 5 | SPA 6 | FRA 5 | ITA Ret | CAT 8 | NED 19 | GER Ret | INP 3 | CZE 10 | GBR | RSM | ARA | JPN | AUS 11 | MAL 15 | VAL Ret | 10th | 90 | |||||
| Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 7 | ARG 25 | AME 14 | SPA 4 | FRA 4 | ITA 8 | CAT 11 | NED 3 | GER Ret | AUT 2 | CZE 8 | GBR 2 | RSM 5 | ARA 3 | JPN 3 | AUS 2 | MAL 2 | VAL 3 | 4th | 213 | |||||
| Moto2 | Kalex | QAT 1 | ARG 1 | AME 1 | SPA Ret | FRA 1 | ITA 4 | CAT 5 | NED 1 | GER 1 | CZE 8 | AUT 1 | GBR 3 | RSM Ret | ARA 1 | JPN 8 | AUS 3 | MAL 3 | VAL 2 | 1st | 308 | |||||
| MotoGP | Honda | QAT 12 | ARG 14 | AME 21 | SPA 9 | FRA 13 | ITA 15 | CAT 14 | NED DNS | GER WD | CZE 13 | AUT 19 | GBR C | RSM 12 | ARA 11 | THA 14 | JPN 11 | AUS 8 | MAL 12 | VAL Ret | 15th | 50 | ||||
| MotoGP | Yamaha | QAT 11 | ARG Ret | AME 5 | SPA 7 | FRA 7 | ITA Ret | CAT Ret | NED 5 | GER 9 | CZE Ret | AUT 10 | GBR 5 | RSM 5 | ARA Ret | THA 6 | JPN 6 | AUS 11 | MAL 6 | VAL Ret | 10th | 115 | ||||
| MotoGP | Yamaha | SPA 5 | ANC Ret | CZE 2 | AUT Ret | STY 15 | RSM 1 | EMI 9 | CAT 4 | FRA Ret | ARA 6 | TER 1 | EUR 11 | VAL 1 | POR 3 | 2nd | 158 | |||||||||
| MotoGP | Yamaha | QAT 18 | DOH 12 | POR 4 | SPA 3 | FRA 16 | ITA 16 | CAT 9 | GER 18 | NED | STY | AUT | GBR | ARA | RSM 18 | AME 19 | EMI 14 | ALR 17 | VAL 11 | 17th | 47 | |||||
| MotoGP | Yamaha | QAT 11 | INA 7 | ARG Ret | AME 16 | POR 13 | SPA 15 | FRA 15 | ITA 17 | CAT 13 | GER 13 | NED Ret | GBR 15 | AUT Ret | RSM Ret | ARA 17 | JPN 14 | THA 13 | AUS Ret | MAL 11 | VAL 10 | 19th | 42 | |||
| MotoGP | Yamaha | POR 14 | ARG 44 | AME 8 | SPA 11 | FRA 10 | ITA 10 | GER 12 | NED 9 | GBR 14 | AUT 119 | CAT 14 | RSM 15 | IND 7 | JPN 17 | INA 14 | AUS 17 | THA 11 | MAL 7 | QAT 16 | VAL 7 | 13th | 102 | |||
| MotoGP | Ducati | QAT 18 | POR 18 | AME Ret | SPA Ret4 | FRA 7 | CAT Ret | ITA 64 | NED 99 | GER 55 | GBR 10 | AUT 86 | ARA 6 | RSM Ret3 | EMI 59 | INA 45 | JPN 55 | AUS 65 | THA Ret6 | MAL 146 | SLD 86 | 9th | 173 | |||
| MotoGP | Ducati | THA 45 | ARG 37 | AME 45 | QAT 33 | SPA Ret4 | FRA 15 | GBR 4 | ARA 54 | ITA 67 | NED 78 | GER DNS | CZE | AUT 11 | HUN 63 | CAT Ret | RSM 44 | JPN 55 | INA 87 | AUS 15 | MAL 44 | POR Ret | VAL Ret6 | 7th | 231 | |
| MotoGP | Ducati | THA | BRA | AME | QAT | SPA | FRA | CAT | ITA | HUN | CZE | NED | GER | GBR | ARA | RSM | AUT | JPN | INA | AUS | MAL | POR | VAL |