Franco Morbidelli at a crossroads: with a contract expiring at the end of the year, he must find the feeling with the Yamaha M1 or it will be goodbye.
Many are wondering what happened to Franco Morbidelli after the 2020 season, which ended with three victories, two podiums and a second place in the final standings, almost touching the world championship coup. In 2021 he underwent knee ligament surgery, missed five Grands Prix and when he returned, he found himself in the Yamaha factory team in place of Maverick Vinales. Physical conditions weren’t yet at their best, but in 2022 the knee didn’t cause any discomfort.
In reality, Franco Morbidelli struggled to adapt to a Yamaha M1 which required a more aggressive riding style, especially when exiting corners. Top speed has never been a strong point of Iwata’s bike, but when cornering it has always made the difference. At least until a year ago. The fact remains that the Italian-Brazilian rider of the VR46 Academy only scored 42 points, while Fabio Quartararo he collected 248 points finishing behind the champion Pecco Bagnaia.
Morbidelli and the confrontation with Quartararo
In 2022 Franco Morbidelli managed to hit the top 10 only on two occasions, with an average of 1.8 points per race. An undoubtedly disappointing result that Lin Jarvisin a conversation with Crash.net, analyzes it like this: “After the Vinales affair we brought him to the official team. We found ourselves faced with an extraordinary situation, we enlisted Frankie in the factory team at Misano 2021 and he did the last five races with us, but he wasn’t fit. He joined our team, but he was probably too early“.
However, in 2022 his state of health was optimal, but he was unable to establish a good feeling with the bike. “He could not brake aggressively and be quick in corners, characteristics that are needed to make the Yamaha work well“, added the British manager at the head of the Monster Energy branded team. Unlike Fabio Quartararo who was able to get the best out of it M1.
Morbidelli demonstrated all his talent by establishing himself as runners-up in 2020, winning races and going all out in 2023, with a contract expiring at the end of the year. Not an easy situation for the driver of Yamaha, who must also withstand the pressure of an “uncomfortable” teammate. A bit like what happens in the Honda garage…”I think there are some similarities to Honda. Marc is an amazing rider who can do things that other riders can’t. So I hope Frankie will rediscover himself“.
