Eight-podium rider Valentino Rossi loves could now leave MotoGP to join Ducati’s World Superbikes team
The MotoGP rider market could throw up some exciting moves for the 2026 season, including within top manufacturer Ducati.
Only a handful of riders are out of contract in 2025, but that has not stopped the MotoGP rider market from being active already. Pramac have signed toprak razgatlioglu from World Superbikes, with the two-time champion making his long-awaited move to the premier class.
The future of defending MotoGp champion Jorge Martin is up in the air as he tries to find a way out of his Aprilia contract. With the matter set to go to court as neither party can currently reach a mutual agreement, Martin’s move could have a damaging effect on future contracts, particularly salaries.
Ducati appear relatively comfortable with their rider line-up, as the factory team boast Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia until 2026. Gresini have Alex Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer tied down for two years, as well as Fabio Di Giannantonio at VR46 , but his teammate’s future is undecided.
Franco Morbidelli could be an option for Ducati in World Superbikes in 2026
Franco Morbidelli is out of contract in 2025 having signed for VR46 from Pramac last year. Despite being on the year-old GP24, the Italian is currently ahead of teammate Di Giannantonio, who is on the GP25, by three points in the standings.
Morbidelli, who has claimed eight podiums in MotoGP, has been consistently fighting towards the front of the grid in 2025, with three podiums in the opening 10 rounds, including Sprints. But the 30-year-old is facing pressure to keep his seat.
| Pos. | Rider | Team | Points |
| 1 | Marc Marquez | Ducati | 307 |
| 2 | Alex Marquez | Gresini | 239 |
| 3 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 181 |
| 4 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 | 139 |
| 5 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 | 136 |
Pedro Acosta has been linked with VR46, with team owner Valentino Rossi being a keen admirer of the Spaniard. He is unhappy at KTM and could leave before his contract expires in 2025, leaving Morbidelli as the likely candidate to make way if a deal is done.
But Ducati may not be set to lose him entirely. In a report from GPone, Morbidelli has been mentioned as a possible option for the manufacturer’s WSBK team.
Alvaro Bautista will leave Ducati at the end of 2025, with the Borgo Panigale outfit now looking for Nicolo Bulega’s teammate. Alongside several Moto2 riders and Pramac’s Jack Miller, Morbidelli could make the move across if he does end up leaving VR46 at the end of the season.
Valentino Rossi has a very strong relationship with Franco Morbidelli as friends and teammates
Despite his contract situation, many believe that the 30-year-old will stay in MotoGP. morbidelli has been described as ‘the lance stroll’of the sport, as his relationship with Rossi makes it incredibly unlikely for anyone to see that he would be dropped.
The pair go back a long way in MotoGP, having competed as teammates at Yamaha in 2021. Rossi had a huge impact on morbidelli as his experience proved vital for his development.
Speaking via Crash back in 2022, Rossi described how strong of a relationship he has with Morbidelli and how he would go about managing that bond as teammates at Yamaha.
“I’ve been very good friends with Franco for a long time. We worked together to bring him in MotoGP. I’m very happy to be his teammate because it’s a very interesting situation that nobody expected, me and him,” he said.
“For sure it will be hard to manage because – you know the team-mate is your first rival – so to fight and continue to be friends, you need to have a real friendship, a real relationship!
“So it will be not easy, but I think we can do. And I hope we can be both be competitive to try and win races.”
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