Franco Morbidelli will step up to the MotoGP World Championship next season with the Marc VDS Honda team, after signing a two-year deal to remain with the Belgian squad, with an option to extend that to a third year should he wish.
Italian Morbidelli has been part of the Marc VDS fold since 2016 in the Moto2 class following two seasons with the Italtrans team.
Showing promise in the three years prior to 2017 in the class, Morbidelli has started to deliver on it, winning four of the seven races run so far this season and leading the way in the championship by seven points.
Morbidelli’s promotion to the premier class had been rumoured for some time, and this speculation was only furthered when Marc VDS signed Moto3 championship leader Joan Mir during the Catalunya Grand Prix weekend.
“Firstly I want to thank Marc van der Straten and Michael Bartholemy for having faith in me and giving me this opportunity,” Morbidelli, who will become the first VR46 Academy rider to race in MotoGP, said.
“Thanks to my management team for arranging everything, leaving me free to focus on the racing and also to the Riders Academy. It’s good to have everything sorted so early in the season, as I can now concentrate fully on what I have to do this year in Moto2.
“I’m excited by the thought of MotoGP and I’m happy to be making the step up to the premier class with the team, and with people I know and have worked alongside already.
“It’s a big challenge, but it’s definitely one that I’m looking forward to. But for now my focus is on this year, so thinking about MotoGP will have to wait until after the final Moto2 race of the season in Valencia.”
A move up with Marc VDS was not assured, however, as an alleged contract clause stated he could be released should a factory team show interest. Rumours also hinted at a potential Pramac Ducati move.
The identity of Morbidelli’s team-mate for next year remains a mystery, with both Tito Rabat and Jack Miller out of contract at the end of this season.
However, a win last year and a decent showing of four top 10 finishes from seven races has Miller tipped as the favourite to be retained by the Belgian team.
2015 Moto2 world champion Rabat is linked to a move to the Aspar Ducati team, as well as a switch to the World Superbike Championship to join Stefan Bradl at the Red Bull Honda team.
Morbidelli will start on pole position for today’s Moto2 Dutch TT, the Italian joined by Takaaki Nakagami and Tom Luthi on the front row.
