6

The reigning Moto2 world champion punched in some eye-catching lap times during post-season testing for Marc VDS Honda ahead of rookie year in MotoGP back in November.

Looking to emulate the likes of Marc Marquez, Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco as Moto2 champions who were instantly successful in their maiden MotoGP campaigns, Morbidelli already looks well suited to the premier class and is a tip to surprise in 2018.

Much like the Tech 3 Yamaha squad in 2017, Marc VDS Honda has taken somewhat of a gamble with two rookies from Moto2 by pairing Morbidelli with title rival Thomas Luthi but the ploy paid off hugely for the satellite Yamaha squad with Zarco and Jonas Folger so there’s no doubt team manager Michael Batholemy is hoping to pull off the same trick.