MotoGP stewards have now taken ‘special’ measures for incident-prone Franco Morbidelli at Misano

Add as preferred source on Google

Franco Morbidelli was fastest in FP1 at the San Marino Grand Prix on Friday. That was despite missing the first 10 minutes of the session for an earlier indiscretion.

The FIM stewards punished Morbidelli for disobeying direct instructions from the marshals after he crashed at the Catalan GP. He’d already served a long-lap penalty during the race after he was deemed at fault for a collision with Jorge Martin in the Sprint.

Morbidelli also collided with Marco Bezzecchi, Martin’s teammate, on Sunday, but this was deemed a racing incident. Still, it hasn’t helped his erratic reputation among critics.

The Italian’s 1:31.342 saw him set the pace in the opening session at Misano, two-tenths ahead of Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo. But he will have to take a more cautious approach this weekend.

Franco Morbidelli under special observation at San Marino Grand Prix

GPOne’s reporters in the San Marino Grand Prix paddock have learned that Morbidelli is ‘under special observation’ by Simon Crafar and his stewards. They feel he’s been involved in too many incidents lately.

Ahead of round 17, he has received ‘a final warning’ from the FIM. If he’s responsible for any more accidents, he faces a ride-through penalty – one of the harshest sanctions that can be applied.

• READ MORE: MotoGP fans are all saying the same thing about Franco Morbidelli after Jorge Martin collision in Barcelona

Crafar has previously taken this approach with Moto3 rider David Munoz. He’s not afraid to use an ‘iron fist’.

Morbidelli also received a long-lap penalty at Mugello after contact with Maverick Vinales that ended the Tech3 rider’s race. His record includes two three-place grid drops for impeding, too.

Why VR46 were right to keep Franco Morbidelli for 2026 MotoGP season

Morbidelli’s occasional misconduct on track has fuelled questions over whether the team should have extended his contract. VR46 held talks with Pedro Acosta, one of the most coveted riders on the grid.

But Acosta couldn’t escape his KTM contract for 2026, and at that stage, Morbidelli was the next-best option. With so few candidates available, it made sense to extend his deal by a year, then reassess in a far busier market.

What’s more, Morbidelli is level on points with teammate Fabio di Giannantonio this season and leads the overall head-to-head 19-16 (in the competitive sessions where both riders have been classified).

Morbidelli was linked with Ducati’s World Superbikes team, but his appetite for Grand Prix racing remains strong at 30. He’ll still be hopeful of adding to his three premier-class victories before the season is out.