Fifth in the Spanish Grand Prix, Franco Morbidelli started the Andalusian Grand Prix well by setting the fourth fastest time on the first day of testing, 0.353 behind Maverick Vinales. He then finished second in Q1 and thus qualified for Q2 where he positioned himself on the second row of the starting grid with the sixth time.
Seventh in the first round, the Italian-Brazilian moved up to fourth place behind his teammate fabio quartararo, Francesco Bagnaia and Valentino Rossi, his master and trainer of the VR46 Riders Academy. Unfortunately on the seventeenth lap, his engine broke down and “Francky Morbido” had to park on the side of the track. It will be recalled that if the Yamahas of Quartararo, Viñales and Rossi, all three of whom finished on the podium, are 2020 models, on the other hand Morbidelli's M1 is an "A-Spec" from 2019.
“I didn't get a good start so I had to fight to get back into the peloton, but I was able to do it quite easily, explained Franco. I felt great on the bike, the sensations were incredible and I thought it was a great opportunity to get a great result, maybe even the podium. We had a very good race pace. »
“Then the technical failure happened and the bike stopped, but that’s racing. This happens sometimes. We don't know what caused the problem, but the Yamaha team and engineers are looking into the matter. »
“The positive point of this weekend was the speed and consistency in the race, but we still need to work on the starting system, even if we have improved compared to last week. We have evolved step by step since the test and we are getting stronger and stronger, but we must continue to work hard. »
Is Morbidelli worried about the durability of the Yamaha engines after some problems with the Japanese power units last week? “I can only worry about things that are in my hands. I cannot influence technical issues and it is not part of my job. I'm here to get on the bike and give my best. We are focused on succeeding in the next races. »
“The races in Jerez are always very demanding and these conditions made it even more difficult. The temperatures were even higher this Sunday and it was difficult to ride the bike. »
“Now we take the positives from this weekend and the previous one, where we had a consistent race pace, and focus our energies on Brno. »
Results of the Andalusian Grand Prix:
Chronometric references:
Test record: 1'36.584 by Maverick Viñales (Yamaha) in FP3 Jerez 2 2020
Lap record: 1'38.051 by Marc Márquez (Honda) in 2019
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
Humor :
Photos © Motogp.com / Dorna, Petronas SRT
