Franco Morbidelli and Ducati Superbike: “After a year like this, it wasn’t easy for them to choose me”

Franco Morbidelli is hiding nothing: it was not easy for Ducati to choose him for its official Superbike project. The Roman rider, officially confirmed this week as the replacement for Nicolò Bulega, who is destined for the VR46 team in MotoGP, commented on his arrival in the production-based World Championship with surprisingly candid words.

Morbidelli beat Manu Gonzalez, one of Moto2's leading figures, despite a complicated 2026 season with the VR46 team, where he managed just two top-ten finishes.

On the eve of the Indonesian Grand Prix, the winner of three MotoGP races admitted that he was aware of the weight of his season: "Yes, I’m happy about the opportunity Ducati has given me. It’s not easy, because after a year like this, choosing me isn’t easy," Crash.net reports. "But clearly Ducati has faith in the work I can do, and I’m truly grateful for that."

In the statement announcing his signing, Gigi Dall'Igna had highlighted the extremely valuable wealth of experience the 31-year-old would bring with him. Morbidelli welcomed the compliment: "I read Gigi’s words about me and I completely agree with him. I’m truly grateful to him for those words. That’s what I’ll try to bring. I’ll try to bring my experience with Michelin, and my speed, which I’ve shown on many occasions."

Number 21 then looked back on his career with clear eyes, without making excuses: "If I return to fighting for victories, I’ll bring back the way I used to fight for wins, which I had for half of my career in Moto2 and for two years in MotoGP."

Then came the toughest admission: "The other years, apart from this past one and the two with the factory Yamaha, were very difficult, and I couldn’t even fight for the top ten, although here I managed to score a podium and a few top-five finishes with Yamaha. But they still weren’t the results I expected from myself. In the other years, though, I was able to fight for the top four or top five."

The future is still unwritten, however, and Morbidelli is aiming to rediscover his best form: "We all know that I have potential. I’ll try to find it again, with a few adjustments. Every year I try to become a better rider, a better athlete, a better human being; every year I try to improve. So I’ll do my very best."

In 2027, he will not be the only MotoGP name to move to Superbike: Brad Binder will also arrive at BMW, along with Jack Miller at Yamaha. For Morbidelli, aboard the most coveted bike on the grid, the declared objective is to return to fighting for victories.

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