Decisive season for Franco Morbidelli who cannot afford any more missteps after the disappointing 2022 season.
After a disappointing 2022 season, Franco Morbidelli can’t afford any more missteps. The Yamaha rider is called to make a decisive breakthrough, especially if he wants to preserve his position astride the M1, with a contract expiring at the end of the year. He starts from scratch and will have to do a mental reset to forget the 19th place in the standings, with 36 points collected in 20 races.
You need a new driving style to get closer to the performance of your colleague Fabio Quartararobut above all he will have to treasure the mistakes he made last year: “They say you learn from mistakes, so last season I learned a lot“said Franco Morbidelli on the occasion of the Yamaha presentation in Jakarta. “I can’t wait to get back on the bike, last year I had to discover the new bike and get used to it, it took me some time. But at the end of the season I had a better feeling and I want to find it again this year“.
Franco Morbidelli chasing the podium
In Valencia he finished in 10th place, but from the next test in Malaysia he will have a new bike available with the latest innovations and, hopefully, a higher top speed which could help the student of the VR46 Riders Academy by Valentino Rossi. “I’m looking for redemption. Now everything starts from scratch and everything is possible“. 2022 is archived, he will immediately have to assault the podium that has been missing since May 2021 in Jerez.
It will be essential to start the preseason well, to find the right confidence with the new one YZR-M1. And then come to terms with the new format of sprint races: “I don’t know what will happen, we will have to have a race to find out“, underlined the Italian-Brazilian driver. “I think add another race (at the weekend) it will be important, we will see what happens. It will also be exciting for the fans, who will see another race every weekend“.
During this winter he didn’t allow himself any particular vacation, he stayed with friends and family, anticipating the preparation. Aware that it will be a decisive year for his future MotoGP: “I didn’t go anywhere on vacation. I wanted to spend some time at home… It’s important to rest, unplug a bit from motorcycles… With a fresh mind I’m ready to attack… and take another step“.
