20 Facts About Franco Morbidelli

Franco Morbidelli was born on 4 December 1994 and is an Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer in MotoGP class, riding for Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team team.

Franco Morbidelli became champion in the 2013 European Superstock 600 Championship, and the 2017 Moto2 World Championship.

Livio Franco Morbidelli recognized his son's potential from a young age but did not have the resources to support a racing career.

Franco Morbidelli did not score any points in the three races, finishing 20th in Misano, 18th in Japan, and 17th in Valencia.

Franco Morbidelli joined the Moto2 class full-time in 2014 with the Italtrans Racing Team, and outscored his more experienced teammate and former 125cc Champion Julian Simon, finishing with 75 points compared to Simon's 56.

Franco Morbidelli stayed with the team in 2015, and got his first podium, a 3rd place finish, at the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Franco Morbidelli ended the season 10th in the standings, with 90 points.

Franco Morbidelli won a total of eight races during the season, with another additional four podium finishes, as he won the 2017 Moto2 World Championship with Marc VDS in the Malaysian GP, after his closest championship contender Thomas Luthi was declared unfit for the Malaysian race, following a crash at qualifying.

Franco Morbidelli moved up the MotoGP class in 2018, still with the Marc VDS team on a Honda bike, the 2017-spec Honda RC213V.

Franco Morbidelli was partnered by his 2017 Moto2 title rival Thomas Luthi, who failed to score a single point that season, on the same machinery.

Franco Morbidelli finished the season in 15th place with 50 points, four points ahead of Hafizh Syahrin on the Tech3 Yamaha, thus winning rookie of the year.

For 2019, as Marc VDS left the premier class, Franco Morbidelli signed with the newly formed Petronas SRT team on a two-year deal to ride an "A-spec" satellite Yamaha alongside rookie Fabio Quartararo.

Just before the delayed start to the 2020 season, Petronas SRT announced that Franco Morbidelli had been signed on a further two-year deal, meaning he would stay with the team.

Franco Morbidelli achieved his first MotoGP podium at the Czech round and his first victory just three races later, at his home race in Rimini.

Franco Morbidelli took his second career win at the Teruel Grand Prix, setting a new track race lap record on the way, and solidifying himself as a contender for the riders' championship.

At the following European Grand Prix, Franco Morbidelli struggled in qualifying and then in the race, battling rising tire pressures, ultimately limping home in 11th, while title rival Joan Mir took his first career win, all but extinguishing Franco Morbidelli's title hopes.

At the second Valencia round the following week, Franco Morbidelli bounced back to take his second career pole position and converted it to his third career win, staving off a last lap attack from Jack Miller.

At the final round in Portugal, Franco Morbidelli finished the season with his fifth podium of the season, to end the championship as runner-up to Mir by 13 points.

For 2021, Franco Morbidelli's teammate was the VR46 Academy owner Valentino Rossi.

The certainty of Franco Morbidelli's move to Pramac Ducati was confirmed after Marco Bezzecchi's refusal to move to Pramac.