Franco Morbidelli has a contract that expires at the end of the 2023 MotoGP season, but his renewal with Yamaha is highly uncertain.
About Luigi Ciamburro de Motoracing
To Franco Morbidelli, a MotoGP season ends, full of technical problems and doubts about the future. In 19 races, he only collected 36 points and he is 19th in the drivers' standings. He has only managed to reach the top 10 once. The best result of 2022 is a 7th place in the wet in Indonesia. After knee surgery last summer and his return to the track with the factory Yamaha , the road has been difficult for the 2020 world vice-champion. With a contract expiring at the end of the next championship, Morbidelli knows he must urgently find a solution, even if assurances continue to arrive from Lynn Jarvis.
Some glimmers of hope were seen during qualifying at Sepang with a 7th place on the grid. In the race, he crossed line 11e. Not bad considering the double Lap Penalty and the 3″ penalty after the checkered flag given to him by the FIM MotoGP Panel. By the way, it was his eighth sanction this season... " This season has been very disappointing for Franco and also for us Admitted Lynn Jarvis at Speedweek.com. “ We tried to reverse the trend in the second half of the year. During the first races since the summer break, we changed the way we worked in the pits a little by changing our approach… We thought we were going in a good direction…but unfortunately that plan didn't work out. Franky's season was very, very disappointing ».
Lin Jarvis: “ the situation is difficult, it's a mental factor, Franco Morbidelli has a mental block«
The Iwata company was unable to find a solution to this phase of decline in Franco Morbidelli. From the start of the 2021 MotoGP World Championship to today, he has only been on the podium once and with the 1 YZR-M2020. There will only be two prototypes left Yamaha on track from next year, probably for the two-year period 2023-2024, and fabio quartararo risks finding himself alone developing the bike and without references. “ The situation is difficult, it's a mental factor. Franky has a mental block. He doesn't have enough confidence to drive really aggressively. And all the pilots confirm : today, the Yamaha must be driven in “offensive mode”. You have to take the speed with you in the turns, you need confidence and that's where Franky lacks ».
The Japanese manufacturer is working on a 1 M2023 which promises to get closer to Ducati and its competitors. There will be a milestone on the inline 4-cylinder engine that will ensure more power and top speed, but it may not be enough to put back Franco Morbidelli In the right way ? Failing this, it will be necessary to find a new brand with which to find stimuli and results, and it will be difficult to find free spaces with the current contracts of MotoGP riders which almost all expire at the end of 2024. " Having a faster prototype will definitely help Franky ", concluded Lynn Jarvis. " But will this be enough? That's the question ».
