Morbidelli on a Ducati in 2024
After a lack-lustre couple of years with Monster Energy Yamaha, 28-year-old Italian Franco Morbidelli has been confirmed alongside current rider Jorge Martin at Pramac Ducati for season 2024. The seat at Pramac ie being vacated by Johann Zarco who will ride for LCR Honda next year.
Morbidelli won the Moto2 crown in 2017 before joining MarcVDS Yamaha in MotoGP for the 2018 season. He scored 50-point in his maiden year before then moving to the new Petronas Yamaha SRT MotoGP Team in 2019 where he collected 115 points to place tenth in the championship.
2020 was the watershed year for Morbidelli, with three victories on the Petronas Yamaha SRT and second place in the championship.
2021 saw Morbidelli stay at Petronas Yamaha SRT for the first half of the season before then being promoted into the Factory Monster Energy Yamaha squad alongside Fabio Quartararo, after the Malaysian backed team sacked Maverick Vinales mid-season.
Morbidelli’s seat at Petronas SRT was then taken up by Andrea Dovizioso when Morbidelli was promoted to the Factory squad. However, 2021 was a season where Morbidelli was plagued by a knee injury, missing five rounds of the championship.
Morbidelli’s time with the Monster Yamaha MotoGP Team has not been fruitful, finishing 19th in the championship in 2022, but in the second half of this season, 2023, he has started to regain a little form and the Italian is currently 12th in the championship.
Still, it could be said that this is a somewhat plum seat for what has been, in recent years, a poorly performing rider. Morbidelli is amongst Valentino Rossi’s horde of VR46 Academy riders.
Luigi Dall’Igna
General Manager of Ducati Corse
“It is a pleasure for us to welcome Franco Morbidelli to our factory-supported Pramac Racing team for the upcoming season, riding an official Desmosedici GP. 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 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.”
There is potentially one Ducati Desmosedici currently unspoken for on the 2024 MotoGP grid and that is the second seat at Gresini alongside Alex Marquez. There has been much speculation that the Gresini ride is being left open should Marc Marquez decide to leave Honda in favour of the Ducati option.
