Let's talk MotoGP: Sorry Franco Morbidelli, but this is starting to get a bit much

Once again, the Italian MotoGP Grand Prix was marred by an incident involving Franco Morbidelli. For too long, the Ducati VR46 rider has been in the news for the wrong reasons, which has considerably damaged his reputation. to eclipse its not-so-bad results. It must change, and now.

 

Always him

 

As far as I can remember, and even though it sometimes fails me, I don't remember a driver being penalized so often, and for various infractions. Let's first mention his main fault, namely, wandering off the line when faster competitors were coming up behind, whether in the final moments of Practice or in qualifying. There are two things that completely escape me about these repeated mistakes. First, why did he never learn to behave properly? These days, Moto3 riders know better.

 

 

Morbidelli made his debut in 2013 in the Moto2 class and was even crowned world champion in the discipline at the end of the 2017 season. He is a vice-world champion MotoGP, which means he's far from a rookie. If it was a driver like Darryn Binder or Somkiat Chantra who was annoying the others in qualifying, I could understand, but I find it crazy that with his talent and experience, "Franky" still can't do it.

Secondly, This is the frequency with which these errors occur.It's hard to trace his first penalty for this misdeed, but in 2022, at Sepang, he was given a double long lap because it was the third time this season that he had impeded competitors going at full speed. That was three years ago! And this year alone, it's already happened twice, in Thailand and at Silverstone! Don't you find that strange? Between 2022 and 2025, incidents have multiplied; the most famous of them probably dates back to the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where Aleix Espargaro hit him on the track.

This first paragraph was only a reminder, because he did not commit any such offense at Mugello. No, it was much worse..

 

Franco Morbidelli got Top Gun off the ground

 

We must still maintain an ounce of intellectual honesty: Morbidelli is not particularly aggressive or dirty in normal times. He is a fairly calm, composed driver, but inattentive when slow on the trajectory, and messy in his overtaking : Quartararo had paid the price in Thailand last year.

That said, I don't believe this is intentional at all, I don't think it's badLet's just say that the attack on Viñales at Mugello was the cherry on top. The image is clear: it was a tackle with both feet off the ground, and given the Ducati's trajectory after contact, he braked way too late. Seeing this saddens me greatly, because I've said many times that the art of overtaking is being lost, in favor of hideous blockpasses and forced moves. Morbidelli's maneuver proves me right, unfortunately. Many say that the aerodynamics of the bikes are to blame, and I've already talked about this at length in other articles. Those who think this way only have to rewatch Fabio Di Giannantonio's gem on Pecco Bagnaia between Casanova and Savelli to convince themselves that there are other options.

 

 

For this, he received a single long penalty, which I don't understand at all. So, yes, it seems quite consistent with the penalty Alex Marquez received in Qatar for pushing "Diggia." In my opinion, the latter was already too weak! How can we explain that Somkiat Chantra, for having placed himself badly on the starting grid, took two hits? It's incomprehensible and difficult to justify. Well, Franco missed his first long lap and was forced to do a second, but he still took home the points for sixth place.

 

Costly mistakes

 

Morbidelli was obviously sorry – happy again – and I think his team must be starting to get tired of his behavior.. Between his risky positioning on the trajectory during qualifying and this elimination of Maverick in due form, the Italian loses a lot of points. It's almost a shame, because he's been very consistent this year and is having a respectable season, still ahead of Di Giannantonio at the time of writingHe needs to correct his aim without delay, as this type of error could clearly work against him if Uccio Salucci has to choose between him and someone else for a MotoGP seat. And going a little further, it's not difficult to see that Morbidelli would have had a hard time regaining a place without the help of the VR46, so his future at the highest level is far from certain.

What did you think of this attack in Viñales? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport