In sport, memories can sometimes be short, but some will no doubt remember the competitiveness shown by Franco Morbidelli in 2020, when in the second half of the season he emerged as a title contender while racing with the then Yamaha satellite Petronas team. Solid and efficient, he won three races with his old M1, challenging Joan Mir until the penultimate round and finishing second in the championship.
His situation changed dramatically in the following months. Touted by some rivals as the man to beat in 2021, in reality he suffered a knee injury that winter that would later have serious consequences, resulting in an operation and several weeks out the following summer. Meanwhile, Maverick Vinales and Yamaha had separated and Morbidelli had returned to the official Yamaha team, with a leap in technical quality towards the more advanced bike.
The Roman driver did not take long to understand the criticisms that were already coming from the first couple of official drivers chosen by the manufacturer that year. The Yamaha, once praised for its smoothness and handling, was becoming increasingly stiffer. The old “easy” bike now required aggressive riding… and the problems were just beginning.
Thus, Franco Morbidelli spent the next two years trying to find the key to this M1, without success. Only the tracks with little grip allowed him to stand out from the crowd, but overall he fulfilled his role as an official driver with great difficulty. The ups and downs of the market ultimately worked in his favor, and now he's on everyone's dream bike trying to revive his career.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Even though an injury this winter prevented him from adequately preparing for his first season with Ducati, the Italian still hopes to find his place in a group that, race after race, has shown it can win both with the more advanced than with the previous one.
“It's a fantastic opportunity for me, after a few years of difficulty. It's really nice for me to get on the best bike and have the opportunity to test this great bike. I will try to get good results and be very fast over the course of the season.”, said Franco Morbidelli during the official presentation of the Pramac team in Bahrain last week.
Now he has to understand how to ride the Desmosedici, a bike that has monopolized the top positions for the last three years, but which requires a riding style that is a priori more aggressive than his. “Today there is a style to be fast, it's what Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin have. But the style with which I won is a little different and can still be effective. I believe that Fabio Di Giannantonio is able to express this style, made of speed and fluidity in corners”, he observed the Roman.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Pramac Racing livery
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Pramac Racing
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Franco Morbidelli, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“As I said, at the moment the winning style is that of Pecco and Jorge,” he continued. The new Pramac rider explained that he does not want to maintain his old riding style, despite the difficulties he has already encountered with Yamaha when he tried to change: “I would like to start winning races and getting on the podium again, and in my opinion the first natural step to learn and get there as soon as possible is to take inspiration from the riders who have the style that wins races and gets you on the podium. Then, if I can add things from my old style to a style that's already a winner, maybe I will. That's my plan right now.”
Morbidelli admits that Pecco Bagnaia, his colleague in the VR46 Riders Academy, gave him some advice which he will now try to apply on the track. But above all he knows that destiny is offering him an opportunity not to be missed, given the harsh criticism received in the last two years: “My situation is, in my opinion, the best a MotoGP rider can find himself in, apart from the 'injury, because you don't wish it on anyone and no one should have it. But apart from this injury, in my opinion it's an excellent situation. We'll see what I can do.”
#MotoGP #Morbidelli #inspiration #Pecco #Martin #Ducati
