Since Johann Zarco turned down a contract renewal with Ducati in favour of a multi-year agreement with Honda, the name most linked to the Prima Pramac Racing team is that of Franco Morbidelli. The VR46 Riders Academy rider has been looking for a seat ever since Yamaha opted for Alex Rins over him.
An announcement in the offing
Franco Morbidelli will be a Ducati rider as of next season. After competing for both Honda and Yamaha, the 2020 world championship runner-up has been welcomed with open arms in Borgo Panigale. After five seasons of highs and lows at Yamaha, Franco will seek to turn things around on what is currently the best bike on the grid, hoping to express himself just as he did at the start of his adventure in Yamaha. From almost being forced out of MotoGP to a ‘factory’ Ducati ride, Franco’s decision not to accept a SBK offer appears to have paid off. On the Pramac team, “Franky” will be able to make use of the latest evolution of Desmosedici GP and fight on an equal footing with Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Jorge Martin.
VR46-Ducati: an increasingly strong relationship
Franco Morbidelli’s move to the Pramac Desmosedici GP has been facilitated above all by Marco Bezzecchi’s decision to refuse a move to the Ducati satellite team in favour of another season with the Mooney VR46 season. Valentino Rossi’s Academy thus has all four of its riders aboard Borgo Panigale red bikes, further strengthening this all-Italian partnership. Despite Dorna pushing for the Mooney VR46 team to move to another manufacturer in order to reduce the number of Ducatis on the grid to six, the negotiations to continue on even after the end of next season have already begun.