VR46 has decided against having Franco Morbidelli ride the Ducati GP25, the bike with which Marc Marquez clinched the 2025 MotoGP championship, after disappointing results during the 2026 Sepang test. Despite Marquez’s dominant performance last season, VR46 remains skeptical about the GP25’s suitability for their riders.
Marc Marquez claimed his seventh premier class title in 2025 with impressive dominance, securing the championship with five races remaining and achieving 11 wins out of 18 starts. While Marquez excelled on the GP25, his Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio often faced handling issues, especially with the front end of the bike, contributing to their lower rankings of fifth and sixth respectively in the 2025 standings.
Morbidelli’s attempt to adapt to the GP25 during the recent 2026 Sepang test was unsuccessful. He reported feeling comfortable only when running the bike on a medium rear Michelin tire but lost all feedback with the soft tire, hindering his confidence and performance.
VR46 Plans to Keep Morbidelli on the Ducati GP24 for 2026 MotoGP
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, VR46 aims to abandon the Ducati GP25 entirely and intends for Morbidelli to continue competing with the GP24 model he used during the 2025 season. Meanwhile, Fabio Di Giannantonio will move to a GP26 in 2026, given his existing factory contract with Ducati.
Despite initial reluctance about the GP25 due to the struggles of Bagnaia and Di Giannantonio in 2025, VR46 permitted Morbidelli to test the bike in Sepang, only to confirm their reservations. The team now faces uncertainty regarding Morbidelli’s exact machine for the upcoming season, though Gazzetta dello Sport suggests Ducati might offer an upgraded GP24 featuring select improvements inspired by the GP25. The nature of these potential enhancements is still unclear.
Morbidelli’s Mixed Results Highlight Challenges with Ducati’s Latest Models
If VR46 secures the use of the 2024 GP24 for Morbidelli, the forthcoming 2026 MotoGP season will mark his third year on that bike. He previously rode the GP24 with Pramac in 2024 before joining VR46 in 2025.
In the 2025 season, Morbidelli finished seventh in the championship, earning 231 points aboard the GP24, trailing Di Giannantonio who scored 262 points on the GP25. Morbidelli managed two podium finishes early in the year, including a third place in the Argentina Grand Prix and the Qatar Grand Prix—the latter achieved after Maverick Vinales of KTM Tech3 was penalized for tire pressure violations. Additionally, Morbidelli earned two Sprint race podiums, one of which was a third-place finish in Qatar and another in Hungary.
However, Morbidelli’s performance waned in the final 10 Grands Prix of 2025, with only three top-five finishes during that stretch, including P4 results in San Marino and Malaysia, and a P5 in Japan. The Italian rider also recorded three retirements, underlining the difficulties faced in maintaining consistent top-tier results.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Ducati’s Riders and VR46’s Strategy for 2026
With Marc Marquez continuing to demonstrate extraordinary skill on Ducati machinery, VR46’s decision reflects a significant concern about replicating that success for their riders. Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Di Giannantonio’s struggles on the GP25 contribute to VR46’s reluctance to adopt the model for Morbidelli, emphasizing the urgent need to find a machine that maximizes rider confidence and competitiveness.
The Ducati GP26 will be piloted by Di Giannantonio, backed by his factory deal, while Morbidelli’s challenge remains how to extract optimum performance from an older or possibly upgraded version of the GP24. The choice of bike could heavily influence VR46’s competitiveness in the 2026 MotoGP season.
As the season approaches, all eyes will be on Ducati and VR46 to see if the team can bridge the technical gap and support Morbidelli in returning to consistent front-runners. The ongoing developments and potential upgrades to the GP24 package may prove pivotal for the Italian squad’s ambitions.
