Aleix Espargaro reveals what his thoughts were when Franco Morbidelli hit him at the Valencia GP

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Aleix Espargaro was involved in one of the most peculiar MotoGP incidents of the year at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix.

His race was pretty much over before it had begun when Franco Morbidelli accidentally ran into the back of him on the grid.

The Italian’s misjudgment saw him embarrassingly run into the back of the stationary Honda, before falling off his own machine.

Espargaro looked confused, but continued. The damage he received would ultimately ruin his chances and leave him struggling all afternoon.

MotoGP stewards took special measures for Morbidelli and were watching his riding closely just a few months ago, after a string of incidents.

Back in Barcelona, MotoGP fans called Morbidelli ‘ridiculous’ for taking Jorge Martin out of the race not long after returning from injury. It seems to be a frequent occurrence.

READ MORE: MotoGP fans slam Valentino Rossi after Franco Morbidelli’s VR46 contract extension is announced

Aleix Espargaro ‘felt bad’ for Franco Morbidelli after seeing him down at the Valencia Grand Prix

Espargaro’s five MotoGP appearances this year yielded very little for the 36-year-old. No points, and two retirements.

But without the majority of his bike working at the Valencia Grand Prix, with the absence of things such as engine braking, or having much power, he was still in a solid position halfway through the race.

Without having been hit, there was the opportunity to achieve a good result, and really leave his team with something to celebrate on a day when they moved up to Tier C of the MotoGP concessions.

Speaking after the race, he revealed how he felt for Morbidelli after feeling himself get hit on the grid. It was later confirmed that the Italian rider had broken a finger.

“I don’t know, I don’t know,” he told Diario AS. “When I felt the super strong impact, I looked to the right, saw him, and thought, ‘I can’t believe it.’ 

“But I saw him on the ground, and I felt bad, because it’s the last race of the year, but you have to be focused because it’s one thing to have an impact when you’re coming in at high speed, like we saw once at Mugello, but once we’re all stopped on the grid.

“Besides, he wasn’t even starting 23rd, he was in the middle of the grid. I think you have to be a bit more focused because he wrecked the bike, bent all the exhaust pipes, ripped off the footpeg, the brake, broke the rear device.”

READ MORE: Franco Morbidelli ‘can’t say’ what he really thinks about Alex Marquez amid VR46 battle with Gresini

What Franco Morbidelli simply must do in 2026 to save his MotoGP future

At this stage, with the MotoGP rider market set to open up quite a lot ahead of the new season, Morbidelli has a lot to prove.

Not only does he need to deliver more results on a consistent basis, but he also needs to be making sure that he remains incident-free.

He finished seventh in the riders’ standings this season, but it looked as though he was on for a much better result before the summer break.

Since then, Morbidelli’s top-five finishes became a lot rarer (six before the Czech Republic GP vs three after), and his pace dwindled on a strong GP24 Ducati.