Revealed: The behind-the-scenes reason that Pramac chose Morbidelli

Morbidelli will face the axe from his Yamaha seat at the end of this season, after months of doubts about his position, but any worry over his future has now been alleviated.

But although Morbidelli retains a strong reputation for his past accomplishments there is another behind-the-scenes reason that he was selected.

Prima, a major insurance company who sponsor the Pramac team, specifically wanted an Italian rider, Speedweek report.

The exit of Johann Zarco from the Pramac seat opened a vacancy alongside Jorge Martin and Prima sensed an opportunity to strengthen the Italian presence within the Italy-based team.

Morbidelli, one of four graduates from Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Academy on the current MotoGP grid, therefore shot to the front of the queue.

He even edged out the possibility of Marc Marquez arriving at Pramac - instead, the star Honda rider is likely to move to Gresini Ducati.

For Morbidelli his 2024 switch represents the incredible opportunity to swap one of the worst bikes on the grid for the best.

He will benefit from a latest-spec Desmosedici at Pramac and will hope for a rejuvenation of his peak, which saw him finish the 2020 season as runner-up.

He won three grands prix in 2020 but hasn’t won since, and alongside teammate Fabio Quartararo has struggled on one of the two sub-par Yamahas this year.