Next year, Franco Morbidelli will be riding a factory Ducati in MotoGP, as part of the satellite Prima Pramac team. He leaves behind two very challenging seasons at Monster Energy Yamaha and hopes to rejuvenate his career.
The Italian rider said in a press conference that it was an opportunity he hoped for: ‘I have to thank, first of all to Paolo Campinoti for giving me this opportunity and then all Ducati people, Gianluca [Falcioni] and VR46. We’ve been hoping for this opportunity to come and we’ve been working on this thing. And finally now we can all say it. And it’s a great feeling. After two rather complicated years will be good I guess’.
Asked about his talks about Ducati with his fellow VR46 Riders Academy riders who ride that bike, Morbidelli commented: ‘For sure I had some difficult moments in listening their feedback and understanding that it was so different to my feeling. And it has been in some cases a little bit of frustration. Next year everything will be the same, we gonna talk about the same topic’.
The #21 also assured that he will speak with the other VR46 riders who are riding for Ducati in order to learn: ‘For sure I’ll ask a lot of questions and I’ll try to learn as quick as possible in order to be competitive in the new bike as quick as possible’.