In 2018, the MotoGP beginners' ball will be played with four players. Three Honda drivers composed of Franco Morbidelli, Tom Lüthi and Takaaki Nakagami to which will be added a Ducati resident in the person of Xavier Simeon. The first two named will be in the same Marc VDS Racing team and the first in line will be crowned with his title of Moto2 World Champion. Morbidelli cannot therefore envisage a defeat in the quest for the best rookie against those he has already dominated in the intermediate category. The succession of Johann Zarco is nevertheless open…
A hell of a challenge because the Frenchman also finished sixth in his first championship among the elite. Pole positions and podiums were also there with the Yamaha Tech3. For Morbidely, it will be necessary to do with a Honda RC213V which will a priori only be in the latest 2017 specification.
« Without a doubt, I am obliged to finish at least in front of the Moto2 friends who joined MotoGP at the same time as me. " announcement Morbidely. “ It won't strictly speaking be an obsession, but it will remain an objective, which puts a little extra pressure ". To achieve his goals, the Italian who is also the spearhead of the VR46 Academy will be able to count on the good advice of the Doctor: “ for the moment, the recommendations are traditional for a beginner, like take things calmly, step by step and then hit the gas ».
Because there is work, as he was able to see after the series of first off-season tests in Jerez and Valencia: “ As for the bike, I wasn't surprised. I expected it to be this powerful. Now you have to understand how to operate this motorcycle. And at the moment, I'm very slow at the rope point. I take advantage of HRC data to progress ».
« For the moment, we are learning the machine and communicating with the team in order to understand what we need. After three or maybe four races, we will reach a desirable level. At that point, we will start to set goals in terms of ranking ". But, from the start, you will have to finish in front of the three other beginners…
