‘It’s always like that’ - Enea Bastianini slams “dangerous” Franco Morbidelli riding

Tech3 KTM MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini has called Franco Morbidelli’s slow riding “dangerous” after an impeding incident on Friday at the Dutch Grand Prix.

VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli was not on a flying lap when he got in Enea Bastianini’s way at the fast Turn 12 section of the Assen circuit.

Bastianini was forced to take avoiding action of the touring satellite Ducati, which thwarted a flying lap.

The FIM stewards placed the incident under investigation and ultimately decided to impose a three-place grid penalty on Morbidelli.

It’s not the first time Morbidelli has been hauled up for riding slowly on the racing line, with Bastianini branding his actions “dangerous”.

“I’m not really happy about Morbidelli’s riding style, and every time when he’s slow on the track, it’s always like that,” the Tech3 rider told the official MotoGP website.

“He remains on the line without turning his head to see if there are some riders behind him.

“I hope to see a different Franco in the future, because like this, it’s dangerous.”

Bastianini wasn’t ultimately stopped from securing a place directly in Q2 by Morbidelli’s actions, with the Tech3 KTM rider eighth at the end of Practice.

Morbidelli narrowly missed out on a direct Q2 place in 11th. He will serve his penalty in the grand prix, rather than Saturday’s sprint.

For his part, Morbidelli said on the incident: “I impeded Bestia and I got penalised.”

This was Morbidelli’s first slow riding offence of the 2026 season, but it comes after a 2025 campaign in which his on-track transgressions forced the stewards into firmer action.

Following a spate of collisions, the FIM stewards warned Morbidelli that any more would lead to harsher penalties.

From the San Marino Grand Prix onwards, he faced the possibility of a pitlane start for another incident, with a race ban also an option if his bad behaviour continued.

Morbidelli has drawn criticism from a number of riders over the years, most notably Aleix Espargaro.

The Italian’s MotoGP future looks uncertain as the season nears its summer break, with his space at VR46 under threat from World Superbike’s current dominator Nicolo Bulega.