Where has it gone wrong for Franco Morbidelli in MotoGP 2026?

Franco Morbidelli says his poor run of form in the 2026 MotoGP season can be traced to a lack of “feeling” on his bike, but he could not pinpoint the root cause of the problem.

The VR46 rider is fighting for his future in the premier class after struggling for results aboard the year-old Ducati GP25. After the opening eight rounds of the season, he is the lowest-placed Ducati rider in the standings and the only one yet to register a podium in a Sunday race.

His performances are in stark contrast with those of team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio, who won the Catalan Grand Prix last month and sits third in the standings behind the factory Aprilia duo.

VR46 is already understood to have agreed terms with Ducati-contracted Fermin Aldeguer for 2027, while it is understood that Morbidelli is not high up on the list of riders the team is considering for the second seat.

The Italian did not shy away from admitting that his results have been below the mark, as he explained why things haven’t been clicking for him this year.

Asked how he would sum up the season so far, Morbidelli told Motorsport.com: “Not in a great way, not in a positive way. 

“We struggled quite a lot. I'm not achieving the results I want to achieve. I'm not having the feeling I would like to have on the bike. 

“But I have to say that since Austin, we changed our way of working. We accepted the fact that I'm not going to have the same feeling of last year or the 2024 feeling. 

“So, we accepted that and we started maximising what we have, and things went better and better. And especially in practice, we are seeing good stuff, and that's positive.”

Morbidelli and di Giannantonio were neck and neck in the championship for much of the 2025 season but, despite coming under fire for his aggression on track, he was clearly trailing his team-mate by the end of the campaign.

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

The 31-year-old opened up on his struggles in 2026, explaining how tough it has been for him to find consistency.

"The feeling on the bike is not the same as last year or two years ago,” he reiterated.
I'm struggling with many things. I'm also struggling with the starts in the race.”

However, the season hasn’t been a complete disaster for the Italian. In Barcelona, he qualified second behind KTM’s Pedro Acosta, while he also finished third in the Jerez sprint.

These results, he says, come from maintaining a “great attitude in a tough period” within the entire team.

Morbidelli is convinced that he will be able to rediscover his form if he can gain the feeling he has been looking for on the Ducati.

“I do feel that if my feeling was the one I want and I would like to have, I definitely feel we would be up there, like we were last year, when my feeling still wasn't perfect, but we were still able to fight for top position,” he said confidently.

"Last year, we were dealing with minor issues or issues that allow you to go from P3 to P1.
This year, we are struggling with major issues and therefore we are fighting for the top 10. And if we manage to do a top 10 with these kinds of issues, it's a great result for me.”

Morbidelli’s struggles “strange”

VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto said he was surprised by Morbidelli’s results so far, highlighting the rider’s potential in MotoGP

"It's very strange because sometimes we can't see the potential of Franco because we already made a podium in the sprint race,” Nieto told Motorsport.com Germany. “We already made a front row, but there's still some feeling that we are missing with the bike.

“We have to try to give the good feeling for Franco in every race and every weekend because we know that he has the potential to be in the top riders."

The only two Ducati riders on the grid on 2025-spec bikes are Morbidelli and current Gresini rider Aldeguer. However, a direct comparison between the two is difficult, as the latter has still not made a full recovery after his testing crash.

“It's very difficult because you must understand also Aldeguer comes from having a big crash and an injury, so also you have to understand how he feels with the bike, with everything.  

"Of course, we can see that also Fermin in some races is fighting for the podium, in other races it is difficult to be in the top 10. 

“So, maybe it can be also for the package, but I know what we have in our garage. I know that the package that Ducati gives to us is also a good package. Of course, it's not the factory bike, but we have to work for Franco to try to give him the support that he needed."