Franco Morbidelli injury revealed after bizarre start line crash

Franco Morbidelli has been declared unfit at the Valencia MotoGP after a crash on the start line.

Morbidelli was rolling up to his grid position behind Aleix Espargaro when the HRC test rider stopped in his grid box.

The Italian was caught out by this, and hit the rear of Espargaro’s bike, which caused some damage to the RC213V.

For Morbidelli, the damage was more significant. He had to start the race from pit lane, and lost a chunk out of the left side of his fairing. More importantly, though, he damaged his left hand.

The VR46 Racing Team rider retired to the pits at the end of the first lap of the race and went to the medical centre, where a fracture in his left hand was detected. 

Morbidelli was not the only rider to retire in the pits, Jorge Martin and Maverick Vinales both cutting their respective return races short.

As a result of the injury, Morbidelli was declared unfit and he will not be able to test on Tuesday when the 2026 preseason begins at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

Morbidelli’s VR46 Ducati teammate, Fabio Di Giannantonio, fared better in the final race of the season, taking third place thanks to a penultimate lap move on Pedro Acosta to secure his first double podium of the season after finishing third in Saturday’s Sprint.

The race was won by Marco Bezzecchi, who led the first Aprilia 1-2 since the Catalan Grand Prix in 2023 when Aleix Espargaro beat Maverick Vinales; Bezzecchi today being followed over the line by Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez.