Starting from pole position, Franco Morbidelli finished the Catalan Grand Prix in a frustrating fourth place.
However, the Petronas rider did not really make a mistake and owes this result only to the moderate power of his Yamaha.
After an impeccable start, “Franky” led the race until the 9th of 24 laps before losing out to his teammate on the straight. He was then overtaken by Valentino Rossi before he fell two laps later.
His place on the podium therefore seemed assured, but that was without counting on the return of the Suzuki missiles which mercilessly dislodged him from the parc ferme two laps from the finish.
During his debriefing with the press, the Italian rider correctly recalled that his Yamaha was not the same model as those of the three other Iwata representatives…
Franco Morbidelli : " I'm a little upset to finish fourth, but it's a positive thing because it means we're at a good level and we want more. I'm angry because I made a mistake in the race: I started a little too fast and I wore out the tire too early. »
« That's why I wasn't ready to fight when Fabio caught up with me. When I was behind him, I lost a little on the straight and I had to take a lot of risks braking to catch up with him. So I made a mistake and almost crashed into him. I released the brakes, went straight and lost 2 seconds. It probably cost me the podium. But I still think it was the best strategy.»
« I lacked a little consistency. It was very difficult to preserve the rear tire and I did not succeed. But I've never been in a situation where I could think about saving the tire. This only works if you have enough power on the straight. I'm the weakest on the entire board in this regard. This weekend I was 6 km/h slower than the other Yamahas. Towards the end of the race I was 22 km/h slower than the Ducatis. I couldn't afford a strategy. I had to get off to a good start and make the most of it. Okay, I destroyed the tires with that. But it was the best strategy for me and my package. »
« I can't complain about this weekend, because I got pole position and I was very fast overall, so I'm happy. Now we rest a little and will try to be fast at Le Mans as well. »
Ranking of the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:
Photo credit and ranking: MotoGP.com
