VR46 changes course: Morbidelli's future shrouded in uncertainty

Franco Morbidelli’s negative streak continues in the MotoGP championship. The VR46 rider has collected an eighth, a twelfth, and a fourteenth place in the first three races of the 2026 World Championship, never finishing in the top 10 in the Sprints. He remains the weakest Ducati rider, and his future is beginning to be clouded by dark skies.

After 20 laps, Franco Morbidelli was a full 24.3 seconds behind the leader—and friend—Marco Bezzecchi on the Aprilia. In Texas, he did no better than 21st on the starting grid. "It was a difficult weekend. We fought in every session, though a little less day by day," admitted the Italian-Brazilian from the VR46 Academy. "We managed to score two points in the race. It’s not what we want, but it was important to reach the finish to gather data."

The feeling with the Desmosedici GP25 is slow to arrive, and there isn’t much time available. The MotoGP rider market is delivering its final blows, and for Morbidelli there’s a risk of being left out. Fermin Aldeguer will almost certainly take his place from 2027, as we await news on Fabio Di Giannantonio’s future. For the first time, Valentino Rossi’s team will bet on a non-Italian rider from outside the Academy.

Meanwhile, his garage mate Di Giannantonio is having a breakout: sixth in Thailand, third in Brazil, fourth in Texas. On the other hand, Morbidelli’s dip is coming at the worst possible moment, with the chance of renewing his contract with VR46 almost gone. Alessio Salucci did not mince words when speaking about plans for next MotoGP season. "We’re interested in Fermín, we’ve never hidden it, he’s a fantastic rider and he’s only 21. We like him." He also clarified that renewing ‘DiGgia’ is a priority, which effectively rules out Morbidelli.

For Franco, the situation is complicated. At the controls of a hybrid Ducati mixing 2024 and 2025 components, the experiment is not delivering the expected results. They’re trying to keep calm, but right now Valentino Rossi’s pupil doesn’t have a seat lined up for next year. After nine seasons in MotoGP, his riding career might find new paths…