The Italian is one of the more unique personalities inside the MotoGP™ paddock and here are a few things that will surprise you
Monster Energy Yamaha’s Franco Morbidelli is a three-time premier class race winner and the 2020 MotoGP™ World Championship runner-up, but away from that he’s also one of the more wonderfully unique characters in the entire paddock. Unafraid to take a stand for causes he truly believes in and, as a result, unapologetically himself, so there’s no better man to focus on than Frankie in the latest version of 10 things you probably didn’t know.
1. Morbidelli is a true animal lover and has three different pets: a dog named Axel, a cat named Lidia and a turtle named Vittoria.
2. He’s best mates with the legend that is Ash Ketchum! Morbido is a huge fan of Pokemon and has been collecting the cards for years. The big question, though: is he a Bulbasaur, a Charmander or a Squirtle guy?
3. If he could trade places with any athlete in the world for just one day, Morbidelli would choose Brazilian football star Neymar.
4. We asked the Italian to take a trip down memory lane and choose any bike and any circuit to ride on from Grand Prix history. His answers were superb. Firstly, he’d want to head to Brasil and the Rio circuit. Then, he’d want to throw his leg over Shinya Nakano’s 2000 250cc World Championship Tech3 Yamaha YZR250.
5. When it comes to food, Morbidelli is staying loyal to his roots. The one dish he craves the most whilst on the road is a family-made pasta carbonara.
6. Following a good result, Frankie will always try and search out a McFlurry as his celebratory meal.
7. Morbidelli loves a bit of rock and roll as his favourite band to listen to is Rage Against The Machine, whilst the best concert he’s ever attended was the Foo Fighters.
8. His MotoGP™ idol is the 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz, whilst his favourite MotoGP™ moment might be influenced by his great friend Valentino Rossi as he went for Catalunya 2009.
9. He received an award for his anti-racism helmet inspired by Spike Lee’s iconic film Do The Right Thing. He even received a call from the film director following his debut premier class victory with the design at his home round in Misano back in 2020.
10. Morbidelli is half Italian and half Brasilian but has always said that he’s Italian during the day and becomes 100% Brasilian after midnight!
