Franco Morbidelli takes a slender one-point lead over VR46 Ducati team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio into this weekend’s penultimate spherical of the 2025 MotoGP season at Portimao.
Morbidelli, using final yr’s GP24, took two early grand prix podiums this season, whereas di Giannantonio has claimed three, the newest at Phillip Island final month.
Diggia, on the factory-spec GP25, has suffered 5 Sunday non-scores, whereas Morbidelli has 4, together with two non-starts as a consequence of damage.
After combating the identical rear-grip points as Francesco Bagnaia in Australia, Morbidelli bounced again with a pair of fourth locations at Sepang and is aiming to copy his 2020 Yamaha podium at Portimao.
“It’s going to be a tricky weekend – Portimão is a really demanding monitor. We’ll see the way it goes,” Morbidelli mentioned.
“We’re coming from a really optimistic weekend in Sepang, the place we fully turned across the unfavorable feeling from Australia, so I’m actually completely happy.
“I’m additionally very glad with the extent we’ve reached and are exhibiting proper now. We’re tremendous motivated for this season finale.”
Whatever the final result, this season shall be Morbidelli’s best MotoGP marketing campaign since ending runner-up to Joan Mir in 2020.
For di Giannantonio, it’s a career-best MotoGP season, already guaranteeing him a better end than twelfth total in 2023, when he claimed a maiden win with Gresini.
“I hope we are able to begin this weekend even nearer to the best setup so we are able to struggle for the rostrum,” di Giannantonio mentioned.
“We’ve already proven on a number of events that when we’ve the best feeling, we’re able to battling for the highest three and even for victory.
“So, the purpose for Portimao is to push from the very starting to remain within the main positions.”
The Morbidelli-di Giannantonio contest is the closest battle within the high ten, though Johann Zarco can also be one level away from Brad Binder for eleventh place.
