Franco Morbidelli on last roll of the dice to stop ‘career slipping away’

Franco Morbidelli has been warned that his MotoGP career could be in its final stages unless he finally delivers.

Morbidelli is into his eighth premier class campaign but has never rediscovered the form which saw him finish as runner-up in the 2020 season.

Now at VR46 Ducati, he has been told that time is running out.

“You could see his career slipping away,” TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson said.

“He had a knee injury, then on a Yamaha he got destroyed by his teammate Fabio Quartararo.

“Last season didn’t work out. But in pre-season he was at the sharp end. We could see a resurgence.”

Franco Morbidelli 'going home' with MotoGP change

The first Friday of the MotoGP round in Thailand last week saw an unwelcome reminder of Morbidelli’s weaker moments.

He was punished for cruising on the racing line, and disrupting Francesco Bagnaia, in practice at Buriram. Morbidelli served a grid penalty in the first grand prix in Thailand.

“The enigma that is Franco Morbidelli,” Michael Laverty assessed.

“He is so fast when he wants to be. Obviously, he has been through the doldrums.

“I do think a change of team, moving to VR46 because of his history with Valentino and the academy, is like going home.

“He is well acquainted with the Ducati, he did have a tough time adapting last year on arguably the best bike on the grid. It was coming together.

“The stars could align. Don’t forget he was second in the world on a Yamaha in 2020.”

Morbidelli endured a difficult three years on a Yamaha after finishing second in the 2020 campaign.

His switch to Pramac, on a factory-spec Ducati, promised a lot but an injury suffered during pre-season a year ago set him back.

It meant Morbidelli needed longer to adapt to his machinery.

When Pramac were taken over by Yamaha, Morbidelli’s time might have run out.

But he was rescued by VR46, on a year-old Ducati, as Fabio di Giannantonio’s teammate.

Hodgson insisted 2025 is the last roll of the dice for him: “It absolutely is. He’s on a one-year contract so will be well aware of that.

“It’s all about momentum. If he can get the result - confidence.

“We are talking about fractions of seconds separating these riders. Confidence and momentum play a huge part.”

Morbidelli finished fourth, impressively, in the season-opening Thailand MotoGP.