Franco Morbidelli suffers second grid penalty of MotoGP 2025 at British GP

VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli has been issued with a three-place grid penalty for MotoGP’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday.

The Italian was found to have impeded his fellow countryman Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) during Friday afternoon’s practice session. 

According to a statement by the stewards at the end of the day, Morbidelli was “observed to be riding slow on [the racing] line disturbing another rider at Turns 12-13”.

That location corresponds to the fast Becketts-Chapel complex in the circuit’s third sector.

The stewards noted that the penalty was in line with this being Morbidelli’s second offence of the season. The previous incident came in the corresponding session at the 2025 season-opening Thailand Grand Prix, when he was found guilty of impeding Francesco Bagnaia.

Morbidelli also received a three-place grand prix grid penalty on that occasion. 

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt

 The penalty came on top of a rough day for the Roman rider at Silverstone. Although he was a promising second-fastest in FP1, he fell during the aforementioned practice session. He was then unable to make it directly into Q2 after registering only the 15th-fastest time.

Morbidelli was the only one of the six Ducatis not to gain automatic access to Q2.

Although Morbidelli is currently going through a difficult patch, strong points hauls earlier in the season mean he lies fourth in the world championship standings.