Marco Bezzecchi
Sylvain Guintoli has remarked that a MotoGP rider has ‘no side vision’ after watching their ‘very brave’ moves, which could even yield a podium in the Grand Prix of Spain.
The 2025 MotoGP season has rolled into Europe this weekend after kicking the year off with flyaway races in Thailand, Argentina, America and Qatar. Marc Marquez arrives at Jerez atop the standings to start his Ducati career, too, after earning 123 points in the first four rounds.
Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia won the Spanish GP from only seventh on the grid one year ago. But the Italian trails his Spanish partner by 26 points and might be set for a repeat of last year’s Jerez race. Marquez took pole position and finished second for Gresini in 2024.
Sylvain Guintoli backs Franco Morbidelli for a podium finish at the Grand Prix of Spain
Marco Bezzecchi joined Bagnaia and Marquez on the podium at the Spanish GP in 2024. But Guintoli believes the rider who replaced the Italian at VR46 this season, Franco Morbidelli, is ‘definitely’ a contender for a podium in the 2025 Spanish GP amid his great start to the year.
Morbidelli has especially impressed Guintoli with his ‘very brave’ defensive moves aboard his Ducati GP24 with VR46. The 30-year-old joined Valentino Rossi’s team from Pramac and has already earned two podium finishes with P3 results in the Argentina and Qatar Grands Prix.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Franco Morbidelli from net worth to career stats
His actions on a track have not always gone down too well with his rivals, though. Morbidelli frustrated Fabio Quartararo in Qatar after blocking the Yamaha star in FP1. It also came after Morbidelli promised Bagnaia he will ‘improve’ after he impeded the Ducati rider in Thailand.
Guintoli told TNT Sports 2 (25/4, 14:26): “It’s like he’s got no side vision. They try to overtake and he just leans [the bike in] and doesn’t care, does he? Obviously, he’s got side vision and, obviously, he’s very brave for leaning the bike and not giving an inch and it’s been paying off.
“Start of the season, he started fit this year, which he has not happened for quite a while. He’s in a friendly environment with VR46 – his crew, his bunch of mates and it’s working.
“So, fair play to Franky after a few difficult years [and] a few difficult injuries, as well, he’s back. He’s strong at Jerez, as well, so definitely a podium contender for this weekend.”
Franco Morbidelli has not taken back-to-back Grand Prix podiums since 2020
Morbidelli is firmly enjoying his best start to a MotoGP season ever, having never previously taken multiple podium finishes in the first four rounds of a campaign. He is also yet to finish a Grand Prix lower than fourth or a Sprint lower than seventh and has points in every event.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Valentino Rossi’s VR46 from current riders to bike
Even when Morbidelli finished second to Joan Mir for the 2020 MotoGP title whilst riding for Petronas Yamaha SRT he was only on the podium at the Czech Grand Prix with P2 in the first four rounds. He has also not had back-to-back Grand Prix podiums since the end of 2020.
Petronas SRT saw Morbidelli win the Valencia Grand Prix in 2020 before taking third place at the Grand Prix of Portugal. Should he now achieve Guintoli’s belief at Jerez, Morbidelli could this week break his back-to-back podium drought sitting at 73 Grands Prix appearances.
It was also in the 2020 season that Morbidelli recorded all three of his Grand Prix wins in the premier class so far. He won Petronas SRT the San Marino, Teruel (which was run at Aragon) and Valencia Grand Prix. Yet the Italian’s best finishes since 2020 have all been in third place.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
