Push for VR46's Second Ducati: Valentino Rossi Sets the Course

The MotoGP rider market has already delivered most of its major moves ahead of next season. Few seats remain vacant and several riders are still without a contract, risking being left off the starting grid for 2027. At VR46, the battle has begun for the second Ducati Desmosedici, with the first already assigned to Fermin Aldeguer.

Valentino Rossi’s team has a wide range of options for the second seat. In the running are Luca Marini, Nicolò Bulega, Celestino Vietti and Franco Morbidelli himself. The Italian-Brazilian rider has been winless since the 2020 Valencia GP (with Yamaha), while on a Ducati he has scored only two podiums from 2024 to today. Results that are pushing the Tavullia management to reshuffle the deck, with the risk of putting one of the Academy’s longtime pupils “in the stands.”

Franky will try to believe until the very end and won’t let go. On the sidelines of the MotoGP test in Catalunya he commented on the market rumors linked to the VR46 satellite team. “If it comes down to who’s fastest, right now it’s me because I’m racing in MotoGP. Marini is too, and he’s ahead of me in the championship,” he told Sky Sport. “If we consider speed, it’s a showdown between the two of us. I don’t want to get into details because I don’t have a say on this matter.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio has already reached an agreement with the KTM factory team, just as the big results are starting to come. It will be a tough choice for the Tavullia outfit, with Borgo Panigale seemingly pushing for Nicolò Bulega, who is seeking a deserved MotoGP debut. But Valentino Rossi would like to back one of his own, without ruling out the young Celestino Vietti. “Let’s not forget Morbidelli, who is one of our riders... We need at least one Italian rider in the team. As I always tell them, the important thing is results. Whoever is in the best form over these races will be the favorite.”

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