Franco Morbidelli shares what impact ‘invisible sniper’ Valentino Rossi had on him as MotoGP teammates

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Valentino Rossi has been a huge part of Franco Morbidelli’s MotoGP career since he debuted back in 2018.

After spending his debut season with the Marc VDS team at Honda, Morbidelli moved to Yamaha to join the satellite SRT team in 2019.

Rossi made MotoGP history with Yamaha in the 2000s, winning four of his seven titles with the manufacturer between 2004 and 2009. After a brief stint at Ducati in 2011 and 2012, he returned to Yamaha for nine more seasons.

In 2021, Rossi switched to the satellite SRT team, becoming Morbidelli’s teammate in what would be his final season in the premier class. Their partnership was short-lived, as the latter was promoted to the factory Yamaha team eight races into the season.

Rossi was well past his best at that point, finishing the season 18th in the standings with 44 points. But the seven-time champion’s experience and knowledge meant Morbidelli could not have asked for a better teammate to have next to him.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth

‘Invisible sniper’ Valentino Rossi taught Franco Morbidelli to ‘be there’ when required as Yamaha teammates

Rossi was a quiet figure in the paddock and pit box, as Morbidelli quickly found out. Speaking via the Paddock Pass Podcast, the 30-year-old said his Yamaha teammate was a ‘ghost’ and an ‘invisible sniper’ as he was not seen around the hospitality or at events.

However, Morbidelli learned from Rossi to ‘be there when you’re required.’ Even in his early 40s, the Italian was ‘impressed’ by how the seven-time champion could show up and perform when it mattered.

“He was a ghost, a sniper, he was an invisible sniper. You wouldn’t see him inside the pit box, you wouldn’t see him in the hospitality, at the events,” said Morbidelli.

“You just would see him for a very short amount of time. But when it was time to operate, he was big time there.

“This is the first thing I learned from him, is that to be there when you’re required to be there, not always.

“That’s one of the first things that impressed me from Vale, the way he was able to be there when he needed to be there.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Franco Morbidelli from net worth to career stats

Valentino Rossi is the perfect mentor for Franco Morbidelli at VR46

In the present day, Morbidelli is now with Rossi’s own MotoGP team VR46 alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio. He joined the team from Pramac in 2024.

Morbidelli has been described as ‘the Lance Stroll’ of MotoGP due to his ties to Rossi. He is unlikely to lose his seat despite having a one-year deal with VR46.

However, the 30-year-old is more than deserving of his spot in the team in 2025. Collecting three podiums from eight races, Morbidelli is fourth in the standings with 78 points.

His VR46 team boss is seldom seen at MotoGP races these days due to his endurance racing commitments. However, Rossi proved he is the perfect team owner for Morbidelli at the Qatar Grand Prix with his compliments to his riders.