With a time of 1'39"565, Franco Morbidelli secured himself a 7th position on the last day of tests, in view of 2025. Unlike many of his colleagues who, from Sunday to Tuesday, were catapulted into another world, he only changed garages: from Prima Pramac to VR46 Racing.
"It was a great day. The bike is the same, but I got the chance to get to know the guys on the team better in a working environment, and it was all very positive. We tried some set-up solutions and, even if it was a classic test day, I was fast, so I'm happy," he said.
Born and raised in the Academy, it's is like being back in the family for the Italian-Brazilian rider. "I'm proud to be part of this team. Racing for Valentino Rossi imposes standards that I hope to meet. Lots of changes in recent years? Like in this championship, I'll be riding a Ducati. Only the personnel is different, so it's not a matter of upheaval," he considered.
About the year that just ended, which started with the accident in Portimao during the winter, the 29-year-old admitted: "I'll remember all the improvements made in every single weekend. It was something good to experience. We're missing the last step to get to the top, but we've grown a lot. For the upcoming world championship, I aim to be fast from start to finish. I want to get some good results and confirm the good progress made in the second part of 2024."
Lastly, latching onto what Gigi dall'Igna said related to how the gap between the GP24 and GP25 will be lesser than that between the GP23 and GP24, Morbidelli gave his hopeful interpretation: "This year's bike might have an advantage in the start of the season because it's been given more of a run-out. We'll see if that's the case."