This is a constant trend at Yamaha. While Viñales and Quartararo play at the forefront, Rossi and Morbidelli are in the background. The two men from the VR46 Academy are therefore united for better and for worse on the M1. And for the moment, it’s not joy…
In Assen, Morbidely however saved the furniture with a fifth place unlike Red whose race ended in the gravel trap with Nakagami as a collateral consequence. However, the qualifications of the two Italians were nothing to cheer about. 14e for the Doctor and a ninth cone on the starting grid for the cadet, while the other two Yamahas were on the first row. And even one in pole position.
Like his elder Valentino Rossi, the Petronas driver suffered more than expected on the Dutch circuit, before improving on Sunday. “ We have a similar riding style, so maybe yes " said Morbidely, when asked to relate his performance to that of Red. “ When I hear about his problems, I have them too, but I hope we are both fast in the next races ».
fabio quartararo was once again the star with a third pole and his second consecutive podium: “ we focus ourselves and try to do our best, I know watching Fabio seems very simple and natural, but we struggle a little more for some reason. We tried to improve our package, drive as much as possible and ultimately we managed to manage the weekend well ».
In fact, unlike previous events in which he had been fast in qualifying but faded in the race, the Italian's weekend at Assen ended on a positive note, with a fifth place taken at Petrucci in the last chicane. “ It was really a good race, maybe not the best, but when you are fast at the end of the race, it's always better... I lacked a little stability, but we managed to increase the grip . Maybe it wasn't enough with new tires, I don't know why, maybe it's my style or something else, but with worn tires it's better. Especially in the last ten laps of the race I felt very comfortable and fast ».
