Morbidelli moved up the MotoGP class in 2018 still with the Marc VDS team on the Honda bike - a 2017-spec Honda RC213V. He was partnered by his 2017 Moto2 title rival Lüthi. He finished the season in 15th place and as rookie of the year, just ahead of Hafizh Syahrin on the Tech3 Yamaha, while his team-mate Lüthi failed to score a single point that season on the same machinery.