“Our journey… will come to an end” - VR46 confirms Franco Morbidelli's MotoGP departure

VR46 has confirmed that Franco Morbidelli will leave the team at the end of this season, opening the door for Nicolo Bulega’s MotoGP arrival in 2027.

Morbidelli is set to effectively swap seats with the WorldSBK champion-elect by joining the factory Aruba.it Ducati squad.

After winning the 2017 Moto2 title, Morbidelli was promoted to MotoGP the following season, where he has raced for Marc VDS Honda, Petronas Yamaha, Monster Yamaha, Pramac Ducati and, since the start of last year, VR46 Ducati.

Morbidelli’s best MotoGP campaign came in 2020, when he won three grands prix and finished title runner-up for Petronas Yamaha.

The Italian then endured a three-year podium drought, including his entire factory Yamaha spell, before returning to the rostrum with Pramac at the 2024 Misano Sprint.

Morbidelli was the first official member of the VR46 Riders Academy, then its first world champion and MotoGP race winner.

After finally joining the VR46 team for 2025, he claimed three early podiums, but - aside from a wet Sprint rostrum at Jerez - has rarely broken into the top ten this season.

Morbidelli starts this weekend's home Misano round ranked just 16th in the world championship on the satellite-spec GP25.

VR46 officially confirmed Morbidelli’s departure with the following social media post:

At the end of this season, our journey with @frankymorbido will come to an end.

There have been podiums, battles and plenty of moments to celebrate, but what we’ll take with us goes far beyond the track. Glad we got to share this journey with you, Franky 💛

Bulega will complete Ducati's 2027 MotoGP line-up and will also be the only Italian rider on a Desmosedici for the first year of the new 850cc/Pirelli era.

Morbidelli's team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio is leaving for Red Bull KTM, with Fermin Aldeguer switching from Gresini to ride the other VR46 machine.