Morbidelli lost memory for two weeks after pre-season MotoGP crash

Morbidelli has come forward to reveal previously unknown consequences of his Portimao crash

Pramac rider Franco Morbidelli has revealed that he lost his memory for two weeks following his horrific training crash before the start of the 2024 MotoGP season in January.

Morbidelli was preparing for the new campaign on a Ducati V4 Panigale road bike in Portimao when he crashed at Turn 7 on an out lap and hit the tarmac with his head, which left him reportedly unconscious at the track.

The Italian had to be taken to hospital, where the doctors discovered that a clot had developed in his head.

The 29-year-old had previously explained that he didn’t have any recollection of what had happened before and after the crash, which he described as “unclear” but “strange”.

But in a fresh interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the three-time MotoGP race winner has revealed that he couldn’t even recognise his family members as he recovered from the injuries sustained to his head in hospital.

"The truth about this accident has never been told to you in its entirety," he said.

"I lost my memory. For two weeks. I didn't recognise people who were very close to me, important members of my family. It seemed impossible, and yet.

“I had all the fears in the world. All of them. Fortunately, we saw that memories and lucidity were returning, little by little. Every day, a detail, something more: my brain started to function again as before.”

Following advice from his doctors, Morbidelli was forced to miss the two pre-season tests of the year in Malaysia and Qatar.

Having switched from Yamaha to Ducati over the winter meant that he arrived at the season opener in Losail without having completed a single lap on the GP24 prototype.

Morbidelli thanked those around him for supporting him in the run-up to the new season, as he made his Ducati debut in Qatar with almost no preparation.

“Two weeks before this meeting, I was still a little 'gaga'. But my whole team at Pramac and the sporting family that surrounds me have been great," he assured.

“Getting back on the bike was a very tough challenge: in short, I hadn't done it for three months, since the last race of 2023, in Valencia.

“For a month, I didn't train. I was coming off a bad injury, which the only way to overcome is to stay still: you feel good, but the people around you know that's not true."

Morbidelli had faced three difficult seasons at Yamaha since he finished runner-up to Suzuki’s Joan Mir during the COVID-affected 2020 season.

Joining Pramac on factory Ducati machinery was his opportunity to start afresh, but losing any opportunity to test the bike meant he started the year on the back foot.

It wasn’t until the fifth round of the season that Morbidelli broke inside the top 10 in a grand prix, and recent progress saw him qualify on the front row in the San Marino GP.

However, not everyone has been impressed by his speed on what is the fastest bike on the grid, with Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro questioning why he will remain on the grid with VR46 next year when his seat could be given to an up-and-coming rider from Moto2.

The 29-year-old admitted that he had to pull himself up after his training incident threatened to derail his career in MotoGP.

"After two difficult years with the Yamaha, you take a blow like that and you tell yourself that it's the final blow. But I gritted my teeth,” he said.

"Life can put us to the test at any moment. I can truly say that I have seen it all, but each time you learn that you have to be strong enough to handle adversity.

“As a man, there is no doubt: I am lucky to have my mother, my fiancee, my family by my side. I have discovered that I am very loved, I hope I deserve it."

Additional reporting by Lena Buffa