MORBIDELLI TO JOIN DUCATI’S FACTORY WORLDSBK TEAM IN 2027

Franco Morbidelli will leave MotoGP for a factory ride with Aruba.it Ducati in the 2027 World Superbike Championship, completing a high-profile exchange between the two series. WorldSBK champion Nicolo Bulega is moving in the opposite direction to join VR46 Ducati in MotoGP, where Fermin Aldeguer, arriving from Gresini, will be his team-mate.

The seat swap was officially confirmed on Monday, about a month after VR46 announced Morbidelli’s departure. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali had previously indicated in Cremona, where Bulega clinched the WorldSBK title, that the deal was close. Morbidelli will partner Iker Lecuona on a Ducati that has won every WorldSBK race this season, with Bulega responsible for 26 of the team’s 30 victories. After the announcement, Bulega shared a photo with Morbidelli and the message “daje” — Italian for “come on” or “let’s go”.

Morbidelli will join fellow MotoGP departures Jack Miller and Brad Binder in WorldSBK next season. Miller is set to ride for Yamaha, while Binder will partner Miguel Oliveira at BMW. At Aruba.it Ducati, Morbidelli will take over the Panigale V4R ridden by Bulega, alongside Lecuona, the only rider to have beaten Bulega so far this season. Ducati has dominated the 2026 championship, with Bulega winning all but four races with two rounds remaining.

The 31-year-old welcomed the move as a new phase in his career. “I am very happy and excited about this new chapter,” he said, thanking Ducati and Aruba for the opportunity. He added that he would work to meet the standards of a team that has “fought at the top for years” and has just won the Superbike title, aiming to achieve strong results together.

Team principal Stefano Cecconi said Morbidelli’s experience with Michelin tyres would be especially useful when the brand is introduced to WorldSBK in 2027. He described the coming season as a significant challenge for rider and team, but said setting ambitious targets was part of Aruba’s identity. Cecconi also pointed to the continuity of Morbidelli staying on a Ducati, which should help preserve his working methods and technical approach.

Ducati general manager Gigi Dall’Igna said Morbidelli’s experience would be a major asset amid the technical changes. “Franco is a very talented rider who, throughout his career, has shown speed, technical sensitivity and the ability to adapt at the highest levels of world motorcycle racing,” he said. Dall’Igna added that Morbidelli’s years in MotoGP would bring the project an “extremely valuable wealth of experience,” while his familiarity with Ducati’s environment and working methods would matter. “We believe Franco has all the qualities to help keep it at the top,” he said, adding: “We can’t wait to start this new journey together.”

Morbidelli’s route to the top was distinctive. The first official member of Valentino Rossi’s VR46 Riders Academy, he won the 2013 European Superstock 600 title before moving into Moto2, skipping Moto3. A debut podium with Italtrans followed in 2014, before he joined Marc VDS in 2016. After finishing fourth in the championship, he dominated the 2017 season with eight victories and claimed the Moto2 crown.

His MotoGP debut came with Marc VDS in 2018, when he was the championship’s top rookie. He later joined the Petronas Yamaha project and, after being overshadowed by rookie team-mate Fabio Quartararo in 2019, produced the strongest season of his premier-class career in 2020: three wins and second place in the championship behind Joan Mir. He achieved that with a previous-year Yamaha, despite the bike being considered less competitive.

A podium early in 2021 preceded a difficult spell, despite his mid-season promotion to the factory Yamaha team. A complicated knee injury hampered his progress there. He returned to the rostrum in the 2024 Misano Sprint with Pramac Ducati, after suffering serious head injuries in a superbike training accident in Portimao during pre-season and missing tests. When Pramac switched to Yamaha, Morbidelli moved to VR46. Three early podiums offered encouragement, and he finished seventh overall—his best championship result since 2020—though he added only one more podium afterward.

This season has brought another challenge on the satellite-spec GP25. His standout result has been third in the wet Jerez Sprint, while he has otherwise rarely finished in the top ten. A new report says he has 57 points and sits 16th, with that Jerez result his only top-six finish in either format. He has also been knocked out in Q1 eight times in 16 races. Teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio has outscored him in all but two competitive sessions in which both were classified. Morbidelli was chosen ahead of Moto2 frontrunner Manu Gonzalez for the Ducati WorldSBK seat vacated by Bulega. The factory move offers a fresh opportunity, but he will inherit a title-winning team with expectations of success.