Franco Morbidelli will not take part in the official MotoGP test at the Sepang International Circuit after his crash in Portimao – No clearance for flight
No clearance for Franco Morbidelli: The new Pramac-Ducati rider has to miss the start of the 2024 season after his serious crash at the Algarve Circuit near Portimao. His doctors have advised him not to take the long-distance flight to Malaysia
The 29-year-old has been back in Italy since Thursday after spending two days in hospital in Faro. He was actually due to board his flight to Kuala Lumpur today, Sunday. The Italian is staying at home for the time being to continue his recovery.
In a post on social media on Sunday morning, Pramac wrote: “We would like to give a medical update on Franco Morbidelli. The medical team has postponed the examination for a few days. This delay is to get a more complete picture of his fitness regarding his participation in the other planned tests.”
When asked by Motorsport.com Spain, the team said that it would be “very difficult” for the Roman to take part in the tests in Malaysia. These begin on Tuesday.
Morbidelli suffered a blood clot on his head in a heavy crash at Portimao in turn 9. The tests were organized by the World Superbike Championship (WSBK). However, MotoGP riders also took part in the test on production-based machines.
The situation is annoying for the former Yamaha rider, who has just switched to Pramac-Ducati after five years with the Japanese company. His only riding experience on the Ducati Desmosedici GP24 was the test in Valencia in November immediately after the season finale.
His only hope of gaining riding experience on the MotoGP Ducati before the season opener in Qatar on March 10 is the official test on February 19 and 20 at the same location.
Marquez comments on the rescue operation
Among others, Marc and Alex Marquez helped immediately after the crash, as not all the marshals were manned. Marc Marquez commented on the situation for the first time at a Gresini PR meeting in Jakarta.
“Of course we helped Franco. We are rivals, but we are also colleagues. We saw the red flag and were the first to arrive [there]. And then we saw Franco lying unconscious in the run-off zone. He was lying in a slightly strange position with his head up.
Kick Off Press Conference – Jakarta 2024 https://t.co/gqr4u9GnAg
– Gresini Racing (@GresiniRacing) February 3, 2024
“We stopped immediately, left the bikes on the ground and ran to Franco to lay him on his side. Because when you’re unconscious and looking up, it’s dangerous because you can’t breathe well. So we laid him on his side, opened his leather suit and helmet and waited for the paramedics.”
“When the paramedics arrived, we drove back to the pits. We are opponents, but also colleagues and we want the best for everyone. “