Four MotoGP teams will run the Valentino Rossi VR46 Riders Academy in 2026 with Marco Bezcicci, Francesco Bagnaia, Franco Morbidelli and Luca Marini.
Bezechichi In the year He was the product of the VR46 Academy, the highest ranked MotoGP rider in 2025, after finishing third in his first season with the factory Aprilia team. The 27-year-old stopped VR46 He scored three Grand Prix wins and 353 points to join Aprilia.
Bagnaya In the year From 2021 to 2024 he was the top product of the VR46 Academy, but the factory Ducati rider dropped to fifth place in 2025 with two wins and 288 points. Morbidly He finished the year in seventh place for VR46 with 231 points Marini He finished 13th for Honda with 142 points.
All four VR46 Academy products face varying degrees of uncertainty over their respective futures in MotoGP as all four are out of contract at the end of the 2026 season. VR46 gave Morbidelli a new one-year contract for 2026Like Honda with Marini.
Where should Valentino Rossi take his VR46 team in 2027?
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VR46 Franco Morbidelli can’t expect much from his bad boy name in 2026.
Morbidelli, in particular, will face a ‘difficult’ task to secure a new contract beyond the 2026 season if he fails to improve his image. As Simon Patterson says. The competitionWho notices that Morbidelli in 2026 at VR46 may not be as ‘protected’ as it used to be.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Franco Morbidelli from net worth to career statistics
Rossi And the VR46 operation has a ‘soft spot’ for Morbidelli, the 31-year-old whose academy started in 2013 so the native of Rome had already trained with Rossi, then created the academy to regularly support his fellow Italian when he started in Moto2.
Morbidelli is a close personal friend of Rossi, so the name is more forgiving as the VR46 is not perfect. But while VR46 excuse Morbidelli’s weaknesses more than any other MotoGP team, unless they see changes, the 2026 season is a sure buy.
Franco Morbidelli
Morbidelli is on thin ice with Simon Crafar.The chairman of the FIM MotoGP Steward Panel has angered various rival riders for his aggressive approach to the 2020 MotoGP Championship runner-up. His approach has drawn criticism, particularly in the 2025 season.
VR46 Franco Morbidelli decided to keep for 2026. Does he deserve a ride?
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In the year Crafar, who took his place on the FIM MotoGP Steward Panel in 2025, gave Morbidelli a “special warning” in September. He told Morbidelli that he faces a driving penalty if he commits another offense after causing collisions in the Catalan Sprints and Grand Prix.
Morbidelli 2025 is regularly criticized for its follow-up issues.This marked the Italian’s first season with the VR46 MotoGP team. His 2025 season also started with plenty of promise after finishing P3 in Argentina and Qatar, but faded as the year progressed.
in addition, Rossi decided not to give Morbidelli a factory-spec Ducati in 2026 Inconsistency throughout the 2025 season. The VR46 had the option of getting a second factory bike alongside Fabio Di Giannantonio, but Ducati instead gave it to Gresini’s Alex Marquez.
