Franco Morbidelli will make his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship debut in 2027 after inking a deal with the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad for next season. The Italian, a three-time MotoGP race winner, returns to the paddock where he first made a name for himself and reflected on his arrival, the challenges he faces and his rivals next season as he prepares to take the most coveted, and perhaps the one with most pressure, seat – replacing Nicolo Bulega, with ‘Bulegas’ heading to the VR46 Racing Team in MotoGP.
“WE ALL KNOW A PACKAGE LIKE THIS IS A PACKAGE VERY CAPABLE OF WINNING, SO I’M AIMING TO DO THAT”
Morbidelli was speaking at Cremona, where he visited the action as Bulega was crowned 2026 World Superbike Champion. For ‘Frankie’, it’s going to be a change of scenery after eight seasons in MotoGP with both Yamaha and Ducati, and he gave his first thoughts on his move to the factory Ducati team in WorldSBK.
He said: “It’s a great opportunity for me after a difficult year in MotoGP, where I’ve struggled on some occasions. I hope to be able to use my chance that Ducati are giving me well. It would be nice to get back to winning ways. It’s a thing that I love to do, I really like to win. We all know a package like Aruba Ducati is a package very much capable of winning, so I’m aiming to do that.”
“I KNOW MY TEAMMATE FOR NEXT YEAR, HE’S A VERY STRONG RIDER”
Morbidelli will race alongside Iker Lecuona next season after the Spaniard’s breakout year. The pair have also raced this season in MotoGP when Lecuona stood in at Gresini Ducati at Balaton Park and Silverstone. Not only will Morbidelli once again face the #7, but he will re-unite with former MotoGP rider Miguel Oliveira (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) plus 2027 newcomers Jack Miller and Brad Binder.
Speaking about Lecuona and his rivals in 2027, Morbidelli said: “I know many riders who race here in WorldSBK very well. I’ve raced against them for many years, on many occasions, so I know them very well. I know my teammate for next year, Iker Lecuona, and he’s a very strong rider. I know him from this year as well because he came to MotoGP to do some races. I know that the field is really tough so let’s see what I’m going to be capable of doing. I just know that the team I’m joining are very much capable of winning, so I hope to stay at that level.”
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE, BUT THERE WILL BE A FEW”
Morbidelli will have to learn a lot of new things for 2027. He’ll be on a new bike and he’ll have to understand the feeling that provides, while there’s also a different format. WorldSBK does not use the Q1/Q2 system that MotoGP does, while there are three races per weekend rather than two in his current Championship.
Discussing what his biggest challenge will be, the Italian said: “There are new things to learn, and I hope that I’ll be able to learn them as quickly as possible. I’m sure the team is going to make a big effort from that point of view, to help me to learn as quick as possible about the things I don’t know about the bike and also the Championship in general. I don’t know what my biggest challenge will be, but there will be a few.”
“IT’S LIKE GETTING BACK TO MY ROOTS”
For Morbidelli, it’s not his first time in the WorldSBK paddock. He made his STK600 debut in 2011, and in 2012 he claimed his first pole and podium in the class. 2013 was a title-winning year for the Rome-born rider, taking five podiums and two wins as he beat Alessandro Nocco to the title. It was these performances that earned him a shot in Moto2 and, afterwards, MotoGP.
Reflecting on his emotions about returning to the paddock, Morbidelli said: “It is special, it’s like getting back to my roots of motorcycle racing. I began my career with big bikes in this paddock, so I remember how it felt. After 13, 14 years, it’s going to be a very strong feeling to get back. Many things have changed but I’m sure that many things have stayed the same. It’s going to be nice to feel this emotion.”
Follow the final two rounds of the 2026 campaign using the WorldSBK VideoPass – now only €9.99!