Franco Morbidelli’s brutally honest reaction to Ducati WorldSBK move

Franco Morbidelli says it was “not easy” for Ducati to “choose me” for its factory World Superbike project “after a year like this one” in MotoGP.

The three-time MotoGP race winner’s move to WorldSBK in place of VR46-bound Nicolo Bulega was confirmed earlier this week by Ducati.

Franco Morbidelli won out over Moto2 frontrunner Manu Gonzalez for the factory Ducati seat, despite a difficult 2026 campaign with VR46 in which he has scored just two top 10 finishes.

Speaking about his new WorldSBK deal on Thursday ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix, Morbidelli admits it was difficult for Ducati to consider him for the hottest seat on the WorldSBK grid.

However, he has vowed to get back to his “special way” of winning races.

“Yeah, I’m happy about the chance I got from Ducati,” he told reporters, including Crash, on Thursday.

“It’s not easy, because after a year like this one, it’s not easy to choose me.

“But clearly Ducati has some trust in the job that I can do, and I’m really grateful about that.

“I read the words that Gigi [Dall’Igna] said about me, and I completely agree with him.

“I’m really thankful about those words. That’s what I will try to bring.

“I will try to bring my experience with the Michelins, my speed, which on many occasions I had.

“If I will get back to fighting for victories, I will bring back my way to fight for the victory, which I had for half of my Moto2 career and in MotoGP I had it for two years.

“Then the other years, apart from this last one and the two with Yamaha factory were very difficult and I couldn’t even fight for the top 10, even though I made a podium here and some top fives with Yamaha.

“But, anyway, not the results I expected from me.

“But in the other years I was able to fight for the top four, top five.

“We all know I have a special way. I’ll try to bring that with some adjustments.

“Every year I try to be a better rider, a better athlete, a better human being; every year I try to get better. So, I’ll do my best.”

Dall’Igna said in the press release announcing Morbidelli’s signing to Ducati’s WorldSBK team that the 31-year-old will bring with him an “extremely valuable wealth of experience”.

Morbidelli is one of several MotoGP names heading for WorldSBK in 2027, including Brad Binder to BMW and Jack Miller at Yamaha.