Let's talk MotoGP: It's now or never for Franco Morbidelli

The 2024 season starts today! Until the first Grand Prix of the Season, Let's talk MotoGP will try to detail as best as possible the expectations surrounding all pilots; the turn to Franco Morbidelli. This will be accompanied by a short prediction, and of course, you are invited to give yours in comments. Yesterday, we continued this series with Miguel Oliveira, in an article that you can find by clicking here.

 

Miraculous

 

Amazing. After two and a half years of struggle within the official Yamaha team, Franco Morbidelli, 2 Moto2017 world champion, will ride on the Ducati Desmosedici GP24 from Pramac Racing, undoubtedly the second best machine on the field behind the official one. Rarely have we seen such dazzling promotion, especially when we study the poor results acquired in two full seasons. Well, that’s not the subject of this article.

Franco Morbidelli was undoubtedly very happy, but a bad fall during winter testing caused him to miss preparation time, this is a factor to take into account. His arrival at Pramac raises a thousand questions, but today, let's try to reason logically; can it become competitive again in 2024?

 

 

Nothing is less sure. Vice-world champion in 2020, he had a good season, without it being exceptional either, the context should not be omitted. Then, Bérézina, from her injury at the beginning of 2021 to the end of 2022. In 2023, it must still be noted that he was able to create a few chances, especially in Argentina, and that he has become considerably closer to his teammate Fabio Quartararo, although the opposite is also true. Still, the points gap between the two was even smaller.

On the motorcycle, he has qualities, such as its racing sense, its consistency in performance, and more broadly, its application. He has flaws, such as his annoying tendency to get in the way of others when they are taking a quick turn. His confidence did not seem so shaken after two years of suffering alongside a world champion, and certainly, signing with Pramac could only boost his morale. This bodes well. As for the rest, it's unknown.

Will it fit the machine? I think so, because all the riders who had the chance to ride the Desmocedici in recent years found speed on its handlebars.

 

The prognosis

 

 

Having set the scene, let's move on without further delay to the prognosis because this is where all the expectations reside. Personally, and this is just my opinion, I don't expect much from Franco Morbidelli in 2024. I know he's talented, but I also feel like he missed the boat. This unexpected signing saves him, that's for sure, but I don't think he will be able to compete with the other riders, and even the other Ducati employees.

It is possible to establish points of comparison with Alex Marquez before his arrival, but generally speaking, I imagine him less strong than the Spaniard, who did not shock me either in 2023. The “benefit net Ducati” will be there, which means that he could perfectly get on the podium for a few races, but I struggle to imagine a bright future for him in the premier category. The others have evolved too much, and even the level he displayed in 2020 would be of no help to him against a Diggia at the end of 2023 or even a Marco Bezzecchi for example.

 

 

Ranking-wise, I see a year marked by consistency, like on Yamaha, a little higher, certainly, but without breaking three legs of a duck. He was 13th last year with monsters like Marc Marquez or Enea Bastianini behind him, so imagining him around 11th place seems pretty consistent to me given what he has shown recently. One thing is certain: he will not give up, because underestimating his champion soul would be totally unjustified.

To summarize, I think he won't totally succeed, but he won't fail either. ; just enough to keep a place on the grid MotoGP in 2025.

What do you plan for Franco Morbidelli? Tell me in the comments!

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport