Franco Morbidelli lines up in 24th position at the MotoGP test in Sepang: The Yamaha rider
is particularly concerned about the performance of the Ducati and Suzuki riders.
Franco Morbidelli finished the final day of MotoGP testing at Sepang in 24th position, 1.234 seconds off Ducati rider Enea Bastianini’s best time. From Yamaha’s point of view, the showdown in Malaysia was a disappointment. In terms of top speed, Yamaha continues to lag behind. World Champion Fabio Quartararo vented after the second day of testing and made it clear that he is disappointed with the Yamaha updates.
Morbidelli doesn’t see much improvement in the 2022 engine either. “The new engine feels similar (to the old one). It’s a typical Yamaha engine,” he comments, adding, “But we have a bit more top speed with it, I think.”
The competition was one step ahead of Yamaha at Sepang. “The old Ducati was really fast in this test, especially with Bastianini. All the Ducatis are dangerous when they are chasing times,” Morbidelli analyses.
“The Suzukis were also fast. But I can’t say exactly how much they improved. We have also improved. How much we could improve will be seen on other tracks. But some areas we could improve,” Morbidelli states.
Why Franco Morbidelli didn’t chase times
In 24th place, Morbidelli was far from his own standard. But unlike the majority of the other riders, Morbidelli didn’t get to set a fast lap. “I didn’t go chasing times. It was part of the programme, but it was planned at a late stage. But then the rain came,” explained the Yamaha rider.
“Everything we wanted to improve, we were able to improve. Especially in the morning I was much closer to Fabio’s lap times. In the afternoon it was more difficult for me. That’s a pity, because we wanted to concentrate on the time of day when I had the biggest problems. Unfortunately, that was not possible. But in the morning I was clearly faster than on Saturday,” Morbidelli compares.
“I didn’t use a soft tyre and didn’t even chase times with the medium tyre,” emphasises the former vice world champion. “I am very curious to see what is possible with a fresh tyre. But I don’t think we are as fast as the Ducatis with fresh tyres. “
Praise for the new aero package, disillusionment with the new chassis
“We tested the new chassis again, but I didn’t like it,” Morbidelli revealed, explaining, “It’s a bit stiffer. With new tyres it feels a bit better, but with used tyres it’s more difficult with it.”
The new aero package, on the other hand, has been a step forward, according to Morbidelli, because it makes the bike less prone to wheelies. “We were able to improve the abrasion. We had to be careful not to increase the drag,” notes the Italian.
In the 2020 MotoGP season, Morbidelli celebrated three victories and for a long time was on a par with Quartararo, whom he eventually clearly left behind. Will the two Yamaha riders once again battle it out for the role of team leader in the new season?
“I only finished the test in 24th position, but I didn’t chase times. If you look at the race pace, I’m still missing something compared to Fabio,” admits Morbidelli. “Especially in the afternoon I’m not that fast. “