We continue our retrospective of each driver's season, from the last to Pecco Bagnaia. To appreciate the performance of our heroes, looking at their place overall is not enough. Thus, we will look at the dynamics, the context, the qualifications, the expectations that the driver in question aroused to judge his campaign. Yesterday was rookie season
Fabio DiGiannantonio who was in the spotlight.
You can find the corresponding article by clicking on this highlighted sentence.
As a reminder, this opinion remains subjective, and only reflects the thoughts of its author.
I) The disappearance
The 2 May 2021, Franco Morbidelli, reigning world vice-champion, crossed the finish line of the Spanish Grand Prix in third position. A great performance, certainly helped by the compartment syndrome which at the same time struck Quartararo. In 2020, “Franky” stood out for his great racing sense and regularly climbed onto the box. Then nothing. Morbidelli has disappeared from the radar, purely and simply.
The main reason ? A nasty knee injury. Already affected at the ranch, the problem worsened during the third free practice session for the French Grand Prix. During a practice of changing motorbikes, his joint simply gave out. It was the start of trouble. Four horrible races followed, then, stopping, to alleviate this problem.
After the ouster of Maverick Vinales, he was promoted to factory pilot alongside fabio quartararo, in the shape of his life. But at the end of the season, we realized that it was no longer the same. No top 10 in five races, and Franky still physically diminished.
Franky in his works. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
II) “100%”
Then comes the 2022 season. Early in the year, the 2 Moto2017 world champion informs the press that he is returning " 100 % ". Moreover, in Indonesia, he crossed the line in seventh position, a more than encouraging result. Unfortunately, he will never finish higher.
On an accounting level, the balance sheet is abysmal. Morbidelli is 206 points behind his teammate (biggest difference in the same team this season), with an average of 2,1 points per race and has even been beaten several times by
Darryn binder, satellite pilot. This is the worst full season – without missing a single round – of an “official” rider since rookie Sam Lowes at Aprilia in 2017 (five points in 18 rounds). And again, the Aprilia team was headed by the Gresini Racing team. Also, no, this is unheard of in the modern era.
On the track, Franco Morbidelli made numerous mistakes and retired five times. He was often warned and the Sepang race symbolized his ordeal: While he had to perform two long laps for an incident for which he was responsible earlier in the weekend, he still found a way to hang on with Aleix Espargaró in the final moments, implying a new time penalty. This racing event earned him harsh words from the Spaniard, a regular at press releases:
“I don’t know if he’s from here or from another planet”.
An encouraging end to the season. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
III) Bounce back
He is an excellent driver who no longer has the mentality, according to his team. There is still a reason for hope, namely the good end of the season and paradoxically, Sepang, undoubtedly its best event this year. He was never able to help “El Diablo” in the title race, and must already think about a way out for 2024.
The Yamaha YZR-M1 is one of the two worst machines for garnering confidence. However, this is the tour de force that Morbidelli will have to achieve this winter. Rest, on the one hand, and try to hold on to your late but real progress. We believe he can return to decent form in 2023, although we seriously doubt his ability to regain enough speed to compete with the best. On the other hand, he can perfectly avoid forcing himself to the point of making avoidable errors, alone or with other pilots. At the same time, Fabio rightfully took over as head of operations at Yamaha. With a machine more geared towards Quarta', the Italian has the raw talent to get by and grab the top 10 more regularly.
Conclusion:
His season, one of the worst for a factory driver in 73 years of Grands Prix, is more than disappointing. A physical injury can cause a deep blockage, this is a fact studied for decades by researchers and psychologists. But the small improvement at the end of the season is nevertheless encouraging. That said, we still think that Franky will struggle in 2023, and will already be happy to play top 10s more regularly, to hope to bounce back into a mid-grid satellite team in 2024. We wholeheartedly hope that he makes us lie and that he regains his dynamism of 2020, but two seasons, on a very high level scale, represent an immense period.
What did you think of his campaign and above all, what do you plan for him in the years to come? Tell us in the comments.
Of course, it doesn't make you go any faster, but Franco Morbidelli's helmet is certainly one of the most beautiful in MotoGP. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
