WorldSBK 2027: Morbidelli joins Ducati to replace Bulega

Ducati confirmed on Monday 5 October 2026 that Franco Morbidelli will join the factory Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team for the 2027 Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). The Italian will partner Iker Lecuona and takes over the Panigale V4 R ridden this season by Nicolò Bulega, the 2026 Superbike World Champion.

A seat swap with Bulega

Bulega moves up to MotoGP in 2027, where he will be team-mate to Fermin Aldeguer, who leaves Gresini for VR46, according to Crash.net. Morbidelli makes the opposite journey: he leaves MotoGP, like Jack Miller and Brad Binder. He beat Moto2 frontrunner Manu Gonzalez to the seat.

According to MotoMatters, Pedro Acosta is set to take the second factory Ducati seat in MotoGP, and Iker Lecuona stays at Aruba.it Racing in WorldSBK. Ducati evidently wanted at least one Italian in its factory line-ups, and Morbidelli was the best candidate from the MotoGP paddock. The Italian riders already in WorldSBK, such as Lorenzo Baldassarri, Yari Montella and Alberto Surra, started delivering solid results too late to have a shot at the seat, the site says.

Franco Morbidelli's career

Born in Rome on 4 December 1994, Morbidelli came through the VR46 Riders Academy. He won the European Superstock 600 title in 2013, then the Moto2 World Championship in 2017, the first Italian to do so in that class. He made his MotoGP debut in 2018 with Honda, where he was named Rookie of the Year, then moved to Yamaha in 2019. There he won three races and finished runner-up in the 2020 world championship.

At Ducati since 2024, first with Pramac and then with VR46 since 2025, he has contested 228 races across 14 seasons in the MotoGP paddock, with 11 wins, 29 podiums and 8 pole positions, according to the team's press release.

Michelin, an asset for 2027

WorldSBK switches to Michelin tyres in 2027. According to team principal Stefano Cecconi, Morbidelli knows these tyres very well and will be able to give valuable feedback. Gigi Dall'Igna, general manager of Ducati Corse, believes his experience and knowledge of the Ducati environment will be valuable in meeting the new technical challenges of 2027. MotoMatters notes, however, that early testing feedback describes the Michelins as noticeably different from those used in MotoGP.

Morbidelli says he is happy and excited about this new chapter. The release only mentions 2027, which leads MotoMatters to think it is a one-year deal.

The editorial team