Razlan Razali managed a great presentation of his Petronas troops in the Grand Prix. An adventure that is present at all levels, since from Moto3 to MotoGP via Moto2, the oil tanker is involved. But it is of course the major category which has attracted all the attention, and all the more so since, this year, the Malaysian colors will be worn by a certain Valentino Rossi. The latter naturally declared himself delighted and displayed good ambition. But listening to the boss in the box, the title hopes are not attributed to the Doctor. But rather to his teammate, Franco Morbidelli.
Given the work accomplished over only two seasons, it is difficult to consider the team Petronas as a simple satellite structure. Yet this is what the manufacturer does Yamaha who owes the Malaysian M1s six of his seven victories in MotoGP last year… A situation that the boss Razlan Razali finds it difficult to accept. He is not discouraged however and approaches this third season of existence in the category by presenting himself as a candidate for the world title.
A legitimate ambition, because the team has the reigning vice-world champion in its midst Franco Morbidelli, now seasoned to Yamaha and the workings of the team. His three victories rewarded solid progress which appealed to the boss: “ Franky is like an artist, the way he speaks, gives himself... Like a painter or a musician, he is an artist of motor sports, on two wheels ", said Razali. " It's just a pleasure to talk to him. He is so calm and collected and he also has very good views on life in general. A very nice guy, but on the track he is as tough and aggressive as the other drivers ».
Razlan Razali: “Morbidelli is a much more mature driver than Fabio”
On the chances of Morbidely for the world title, Razali has no doubt: “ Franky knows the situation, he already experienced it when he won the Moto2 world champion title in 2017. He almost managed to become world champion last year. I think he has all the experience needed to deal with the pressure and the situation. He is a much more mature driver than Fabio, for example ».
« In 2019, he was overshadowed by Fabio in his rookie year. He reacted. He knows what to do to improve, so I'm confident he will continue to train hard with Valentino and the others. This year it's all about consistency and we think he has a real chance in the title fight ».
Certainly, but for that you also need a good motorcycle. However, his M1 will not be of his last youth… “ Yamaha believes that Franky is a very competitive rider with a lot of potential, but the contractual situation and the economic situation did not allow us to bring his motorcycle up to the standards of others ", said Razlan Razali on this topic.
The team director Petronas SRT added : " For this year we have been assured that the plan includes the development of Franky's motorcycle to some extent. We don't know exactly what these upgrades will be at the moment, but we'll find out in Qatar. Like last year, they will do their best to support him. Starting in 2020, with the help of Yamaha, certain things were developed during the season to improve Franky's performance. We have a very good partnership with Yamaha because when they see a rider who has the potential to win, or when a rider is in the lead, they leave no stone unturned to provide extra support where they can ". A politic MotoGP that we will follow during this season.
