Franco Morbidelli shock confession: “I lost memory, didn’t recognise” family

Franco Morbidelli has revealed shocking new details of his crash in preseason testing, nine months ago.

Morbidelli crashed a Ducati Panigale V4 in January in Portimao, with the Marquez brothers rushing to his aid.

The incident scuppered Morbidelli’s earliest rounds adjusting from Yamaha to Pramac Ducati, but he has now confessed far more serious ramifications.

"I lost my memory. For two weeks,” he told La Reppublica.

“I didn't recognise people who were very close to me, important members of my family. It seemed impossible, and yet…

“I had all the fears in the world. All of them.

“Fortunately, we saw that memories and lucidity were returning, little by little.

“Every day, a detail, something more: my brain started to function again as before.”

Morbidelli was emerging from two troubling years on a Yamaha.

His switch to Pramac Ducati, on the best bike in MotoGP, was a great chance to revitalise his career.

But his preseason testing accident put him on the back foot. After crashing, he missed the tests in Sepang and Qatar.

"After two difficult years with the Yamaha, you take a blow like that and you tell yourself that it's the final blow,” Morbidelli said.

“But I gritted my teeth.”

Morbidelli needed until only the fifth round to record a top-10 finish. He has finished inside the top 10 at four grands prix so far this year.

In 2025, he will swap Pramac for VR46 - reuniting him with Valentino Rossi’s squad, and allowing him to continue on a year-old Ducati.