Franco Morbidelli Faces Team Orders Dilemma Amid Tight MotoGP Title Race

Franco Morbidelli on team orders: "It's going to be challenging"

"I really hope to face this kind of issue!"

The issue of team orders in MotoGP is always a complex subject.

Consider Franco Morbidelli's possible impact in the forthcoming championship fight.

The Italian racer is part of the Pramac Ducati team alongside Jorge Martin, who is competing for the championship against Francesco Bagnaia, a friend and fellow member of Morbidelli’s VR46 Academy, as well as the current Ducati factory champion.

All three riders have direct contracts with Ducati and are currently using the newest GP24 models. However, Martin is set to switch to Aprilia next season, as Pramac transitions to Yamaha. Meanwhile, Bagnaia and Morbidelli will continue with Ducati; Morbidelli will be moving to VR46 under a team agreement.

After suffering a head injury during the winter that caused him to miss the entire pre-season, Morbidelli, a former title runner-up, has not been competitive at the front until recently.

During last weekend's San Marino MotoGP, Morbidelli returned to top form by qualifying between the championship frontrunners, marking his first front-row start since 2021.

At the conclusion of a tightly contested Sprint race, Martin, Bagnaia, and Morbidelli were separated by a mere 1.8 seconds. Notably, this marked Morbidelli's first time finishing in the top three in three years.

When asked about how he will manage to maintain this performance going forward, Morbidelli responded:

"I witnessed it. Bagnaia and Martin remain the fastest in the competition, but if we continue at this pace, there will be races where we'll be in the mix with them as they battle for the championship."

"We need to independently consider what is best for both Ducati and ourselves. Making the right decision will be challenging, but we will collaborate and aim to choose wisely."

After a few challenging years with Yamaha, it's a relief to have this type of issue.

Morbidelli grinned and said, "I really hope to face this sort of issue. I look forward to dealing with such problems down the line!"

Morbidelli was once more in third place, trailing Bagnaia and Martin, when he took a fall amid the rain showers midway through Sunday’s grand prix.

Ranked twelfth in the riders' standings and trailing Martin by 222 points, Morbidelli is practically out of contention for the riders' title. However, his points remain crucial for Pramac in the teams' standings.

Last year, Pramac achieved a historic milestone by securing the teams' championship, thanks to the efforts of Martin and his former teammate Johann Zarco.

Ducati Lenovo has established a significant lead of 153 points this season. With Enea Bastianini performing well again, Pramac is now fiercely competing with Gresini to finish its last season with Ducati as the leading Independent team.

The second round of the 'Emilia Romagna' series will be held next weekend at the Misano circuit, which is the home track of Morbidelli.

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