Franco Morbidelli 2025 MotoGP crew chief confirmed

Franco Morbidelli’s move from the Pramac team to the VR46 Ducati team for 2025 was made official on Friday morning at the Austrian Grand Prix, and on Friday evening the identity of his crew chief was also confirmed.

Morbidelli will move to VR46 after one season as a Ducati rider for Pramac, a season which started in a bad way with a crash in the winter that put Morbidelli out of action for both preseason tests.

“If we look in the past, for sure this winter wasn’t very good for him: he has the injuries in Portimao with the bike and he didn’t make the winter test,” VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto told MotoGP.com.

“So, in the end you are missing like 3,000km, and now in MotoGP if you miss the winter tests it’s almost impossible to make something.”

Morbidelli will continue with a Desmosedici GP24 in 2025, the same bike he’s riding this year for Pramac. Nieto said that this continuity is a positive for Morbidelli.

“He will continue with the same bike [as this year] which is very important,” Nieto said, “and then continue working like [he is now]. So, I think we can make very good things.”

Nieto said that Morbidelli’s recent form has encouraged him about his team’s newest signing.

“I think he’s making a very good job, starting to get a very good feeling with the bike,” Nieto said after Friday practice at the Austrian Grand Prix. “We see today that he was fighting for the top three all the time, so this is very important.”

Finally, Nieto confirmed that Morbidelli will inherit the team which currently works with Marco Bezzecchi.

“He will join us with Matteo Flamigni and all the crew [that currently works with Bezzecchi],” Nieto said.