Franco Morbidelli and Tom Lüthi will make their MotoGP debut this weekend at the first round of the world championship held at Qatar, on the Losail international circuit.
The Italian driver of Team Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS is the one who benefited the most from winter preparation with two test sessions at the end of 2017, then three others at the start of the year in Malaysia, Thailand and Qatar.
The reigning Moto2 world champion has made constant progress adapting to the Honda RC213V and the Michelin tires with which he will race for the first time this year. If he has not set a real objective for this first race, finishing as the best rookie would be for Morbidely a good way to get your first season off to a great start in the premier class.
To Lüthi, the approach to this first meeting will be significantly different to the extent that the Swiss driver continues to chase the time lost due to the injury which did not allow him to participate in the tests organized at the end of 2017. Like his teammate, Lüthi nevertheless made steady progress this winter. He nevertheless intends to approach this first race weekend cautiously so as not to rush as was the case for his first tests two months ago.
The former 125 world champion is excited at the idea of debuting in MotoGP in Qatar, but above all he intends to take advantage of the first race to continue his adaptation to the Michelins and his Honda RC2123V.
Franco Morbidelli:
« I have a good feeling. I can’t wait to take part in my first MotoGP Grand Prix. I really want to take advantage of it, work well with my team and be precise. In fact, I really want to do well. I'm not expecting anything in particular but it will be important to start where we left off in the last tests, with the same gap on the best and fastest Honda riders. From there I want to continue to progress, improve my pace and a couple of things on the bike. One of my goals this year is to finish as the best rookie. I will meet some opponents in the Moto2 category and I hope to be better than them. I would give anything for that. Maybe the change in category will change our balance of power, but I think we have the right package to fight in the best conditions »
Tom Lüthi:
« I'm very happy to be able to make my MotoGP debut this weekend. It happened faster than I expected, and it feels like my first rides with the Honda RC213V were yesterday. After three tests and nine days of testing, I'm starting to have a little experience, but I'm still missing some. So on the one hand I'm happy to be able to attack the season, and on the other I tell myself that I still have a lot to learn and that I will have to take advantage of the first races to continue my learning and gain experience with the motorcycle and the tires. It will start this weekend »
Michael Bartholemy: Team Principal
« I don't have the impression that the last race of the 2017 season took place four months ago and that we are here, now, in Qatar, to start a new one. 2018 is shaping up to be an interesting year. With Franco and Tom, we have two beginners in MotoGP who had to discover a lot of things during the few tests that we were able to carry out this winter, especially for Tom who had even less time on the bike than Franco .
The important thing for our two drivers will be to be patient and methodical in their approach. They felt a little frustrated during the tests because everything didn't go as quickly as they hoped, but they knew how to keep calm. They understood that they were going to have to continue their learning during the first races. Their only objective this weekend will be to finish the Grand Prix while continuing to progress. If they achieve this objective, we will be satisfied whatever their result.. »
