VR46 on 'fierce Franky' clashes: “Sometimes you have to take risks” - Exclusive
VR46 team principal Pablo Nieto says Franco Morbidelli’s aggressive MotoGP style is sometimes unavoidable when starting deep on the grid.
Franco Morbidelli found himself in front of the FIM Stewards more than any other MotoGP rider in 2025.
“We all know I'm a fierce rider; I attack whenever I can,” Morbidelli said after criticism at the Indonesian Grand Prix. “Sometimes I make mistakes, but I'm never malicious.”
A series of incidents earlier in the year, culminating in a penalty for colliding with Jorge Martin at Catalunya, prompted a ‘final’ warning from the FIM Stewards, headed by Simon Crafar.
“This year I had my time in the office with Simon,” Morbidelli added. “He spoke a lot to me. He made me understand how an overtaking should be brought to a rider. And how an overtaking should be brought in such a MotoGP.”
Morbidelli was again involved in close combat during an opening-lap clash at Portimao but escaped punishment on that occasion.
“Sometimes things happen, like in [Portimao] where there was no penalty, but we talked with Race Direction,” Pablo Nieto told Crash.net.
“Sometimes I understand Franky. Because what happens if you do not a very good qualifying, start in the back, but are a little bit faster?
“Sometimes you have to take risks in the first laps.
“And I understand that sometimes things happen, you can make more mistakes, in [a situation] like that. So it's difficult.”
Nieto stressed that improving qualifying was the key to reducing early-race risk.
“The thing that we have to do is work on qualifying to try to start a little bit more in front. Like this, we can take out all the problems of when you are [fighting] in the back.”
Morbidelli’s qualifying swung between starting 3rd and 17th on the grid, with an average of seventh.
Nieto said he likes the current qualifying format - where the top ten riders on Friday afternoon receive direct Qualifying 2 access, then the top two riders in Qualifying 1 - but admitted half of the weekend is determined on Friday.
“I like [the qualifying format] how it is,” he said. “It's very nice because on Friday, you have already ‘qualifying’.
“I think let's say 50% of the weekend is on Friday. Because if you are already in Q2, that means that maybe you can fight for something [good].
“If you are out of Q2… if you make one mistake, there’s a yellow flag or something like that, you are out.
“And when you are out from Q2, it's going to be difficult to make a good race. So Friday is already a very, very important day.”
Morbidelli returned to the MotoGP podium, twice, in the early stages of his debut VR46 season.
However, an eventful season ended early when he injured his hand after clipping the back of Aleix Espargaro on the grid at Valencia, also ruling the Italian out of the post-season test.
Team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio (GP25) went on to claim sixth in the world championship by 31 points over Morbidelli (GP24).
VR46 will unveil its 2026 team colours on Wednesday.
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