Seven-podium MotoGP rider looked ‘finished’ before Argentina Grand Prix, ’emerged from the ashes…’

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Marc Marquez remains unbeaten since joining the Ducati factory team after another double at the Argentina Grand Prix last weekend. Marquez once again had to see off competition from his brother Alex, but he once again stood on the top step.

The six-time MotoGP champion has topped both qualifying sessions, both Sprint races and both Grands Prix this year. Here, he faced arguably his biggest challenge yet after losing the lead to his younger sibling.

But Marquez Sr got back ahead in the closing stages to preserve his streak. The podium for the first three events had been the same, but this time, Francesco Bagnaia couldn’t repeat P3.

Bagnaia slipped to fourth, with Franco Morbidelli the beneficiary on his VR46 bike. Teammate Fabio di Giannantonio was fifth, with Johann Zarco enjoying his best result since Valencia 2023 in P6.

Max Temporali overjoyed by Franco Morbidelli showing at Argentina Grand Prix

It’s been an excellent start to the season for Ducati’s experienced GP24 riders. Alex Marquez and Morbidelli may be running on year-old bikes, but the gap is insignificant at this stage.

Indeed, one would expect Morbidelli to be losing out to Di Giannantonio, who’s on a more advanced spec, but he’s outscored him by 15 points so far. Diggia’s pre-season injury was a major setback, but it’s telling that Bagnaia is considering reverting to an earlier model for the next race in Austin.

Morbidelli took the gamble of fitting the soft rear tyre at the Argentina Grand Prix, and it paid off as he passed Bagnaia and Zarco in the early stages. He held onto third for his first podium since Jerez 2021.

Writing on his Instagram page, Max Temporali, an analyst for Sky Italy, expressed delight at Morbidelli’s ‘resurrection’. He feared that the 29-year-old was past his best amid the four-year gap between his sixth and seventh podiums.

“Morbidelli, for too long he seemed like a finished rider, but instead… The resurrection of athletes is what gives me the most joy,” Temporali wrote. “It seems that the good Franco really emerged from the ashes.”

VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli on the moment everything he changed in MotoGP

Morbidelli finished 335 points adrift of world champion teammate Jorge Martin at Pramac last season. But perhaps this disappointing showing can be put down to the serious head injury he suffered in the winter.

The Italian is reaping the benefits of retaining the same bike in 2025 after switching to VR46. He’d started the year with a fine P4 in Thailand.

Morbidelli has been called MotoGP’s Lance Stroll, with his links to Valentino Rossi keeping him on the grid. But if he continues this form, few will question his worthiness for a front-running ride.

Speaking in a recent interview, Morbidelli said his career was ‘idyllic’ until mid-2021 when he suffered a knee injury. His runner-up finish the previous season remains the peak of his career.