The “pride” and “pressure” that comes with racing for Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP team
Morbidelli says riding for the VR46 team “sets the bar very high”
Franco Morbidelli says there is “extra pressure” on him as he steps into Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP team for 2025, but “it fills me with pride”.
The 29-year-old is one of the VR46 Academy’s most prolific names, having been its first world champion in 2017 in Moto2 and its first MotoGP race winner with his San Marino GP victory in 2020.
But Morbidelli had never actually raced for MotoGP legend Rossi’s team before signing for VR46 Ducati for the 2025 season.
The Italian made his debut with the team on the GP24 he contested the 2024 campaign with Pramac on at the post-season Barcelona test and was seventh after 52 laps.
Knowing the team well, Morbidelli said after the test that they have to use the “magic” atmosphere between them to gel as a unit.
Racing for Rossi brings with it a unique pressure for an Italian rider, but it’s something that Morbidelli is embracing.
“It fills me with pride, and it's extra pressure,” he said.
“Riding for Valentino Rossi's team sets the bar very high in my opinion, and we hope to meet [expectations] in the future .
“I have stability, because the bike is the same. All the people around me change. But I also know them, so it's a change, but not a big one.”
Morbidelli’s move to the Ducati with Pramac in 2024 saw him return to being a consistent top 10 challenger after two difficult years with the factory Yamaha squad.
He managed a podium at the San Marino GP sprint, though struggled to get on terms with the other GP24 runners all year.
Reflecting on 2024, he said: “I’ll remember all the improvements we made in every session, every weekend, every time we saw that there was something more than in the previous grand prix.
“This has been a very nice year to experience and to see.
“We have improved to the top of the category. The last step is still missing, but we have improved a lot.”
Morbidelli’s pre-season preparations were hindered by a concussion he suffered in a training accident at Portimao.
He missed all of winter testing, and admitted later in the year that he had memory loss for two weeks after the accident.
