Franco Morbidelli: Team orders? “It's going to be tricky”
“I'm wishing quite a lot to have this kind of problem!”
Team orders in MotoGP are a complicated topic at the best of times.
But spare a thought for Franco Morbidelli’s potential role in the upcoming title battle.
The Italian is the Pramac Ducati team-mate of Jorge Martin, who is battling for the title with Morbidelli’s VR46 Academy colleague, friend and reigning factory Ducati champion Francesco Bagnaia.
All three are contracted directly to Ducati and ride the latest GP24s. But Martin is leaving for Aprilia next season, when Pramac moves to Yamaha. Bagnaia and Morbidelli will remain at Ducati, with Morbidelli joining VR46, on a team contract.
Playing catch-up after a winter head injury stripped Morbidelli of the entire pre-season, the former title runner-up hasn’t been a factor at the front until now.
Last weekend’s San Marino MotoGP saw Morbidelli back to his best, qualifying between the title leaders during his first front-row appearance since 2021.
Martin, Bagnaia and Morbidelli were then covered by just 1.8s at the end of a close Sprint contest, again Morbidelli’s first top-three in three years.
Quizzed on the balancing act he will face if he continues this form in future, Morbidelli said:
“I was there. Still [Bagnaia and Martin] are the quickest of the field but for sure if we keep going like this, there will be races where we are going to be there [with them], while they are fighting for the championship.
“We are going to have to think for ourselves and what's best for Ducati, and for sure, for them as well. It's going to be tricky to make the right choice, but we will discuss it all together and try to make the right choice."
Nonetheless, after several tough years with Yamaha, it's a nice problem to have.
"I'm wishing quite a lot to have this kind of problem," Morbidelli smiled. "I hope to have this kind of problem in the future!"
Morbidelli was again running third, behind Bagnaia and Martin, when he crashed during the mid-race rain shower in Sunday's grand prix.
Twelfth in the riders’ standings, 222 points behind Martin and almost mathematically out of the riders' title battle, Morbidelli’s points are nonetheless also vital for Pramac in the teams’ standings.
Pramac made history last year by winning the teams' title with Martin and former team-mate Johann Zarco.
Although Ducati Lenovo has pulled 153 points clear this year, with Enea Bastianini back on form, Pramac is now locked in a tight battle with Gresini to sign off its final Ducati campaign as the top Independent squad.
The second ‘Emilia Romagna’ Misano round takes place at Morbidelli's home Misano circuit next weekend.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
