Ex-MotoGP runner-up Franco Morbidelli has not been able to live up to expectations so far and gives the reason for the imbalance in the Yamaha factory team
A meagre 14 World Championship points were collected by Yamaha factory rider Franco Morbidelli in the first four Grands Prix of the current MotoGP season. After overseas races in Qatar, Indonesia, Argentina and Texas, Morbidelli finds himself in only 15th position in the riders’ standings. Team-mate Fabio Quartararo already has 44 points to his name and is by far the best Yamaha rider in fifth place in the championship.
Why is Quartararo so much stronger than Morbidelli so far? “I see how well Fabio harmonises with the bike. He makes very precise changes to the set-up of the bike together with his crew,” Morbidelli recognises.
Morbidelli attributes the disappointing performances so far to a lack of knowledge about the current Yamaha M1. At the start of the 2021 MotoGP season, Morbidelli rode the 2019 version and only received the current M1 after his comeback in the summer.
“From Fabio’s performances and the changes to the bike, I understand that he and his crew have a lot of knowledge regarding the bike. I still lack this knowledge,” admits Morbidelli. “But I am aiming to have this knowledge as soon as possible.”
Franco Morbidelli is not the only Yamaha rider who is struggling. Fellow countryman Andrea Dovizioso has also not been able to make a particularly strong showing so far (which is where it lies at the moment) and is currently only 21st in the riders’ standings.
