This happened after the end of the third free practice session of the French MotoGP Grand Prix at Le Mans, when Franco Morbidelli returned to his box to change bikes in preparation for a possible “flag to flag” race.
The maneuver consists of changing motorcycles as quickly as possible but, from now on, the riders no longer have the right to jump directly from one motorcycle to another as was done Marc Marquez in the past. You must therefore first jump to the ground before getting on your second motorbike.
This is indeed what the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider did but, without the action appearing violent, he unfortunately landed badly and collapsed to the ground, causing his second Yamaha to fall in the process. M1.
A strange incident in pit lane! 😲@FrankyMorbido12 limps away from his Yamaha after an issue attempting a flag-to-flag practice! 👀#FrenchGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/r5ujk7X2hT
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) May 15, 2021
After a few seconds, the mechanics had to intervene to carry him into the turquoise box and, a few minutes later, the Petronas Yamaha SRT team indicated that the Italian rider had slightly twisted his left knee. He was therefore examined by the medical team before being declared fit to continue the weekend.
He will undergo treatment at the mobile clinic before the start of FP4 while he is currently in fifth place in the combined rankings for the French round.
