Morbidelli: Yamaha “didn’t owe me” factory MotoGP status, but I deserve it
Franco Morbidelli admits Yamaha “didn’t owe me” factory status in MotoGP, despite his form on an old M1, but he believes he “deserved” it.
Morbidelli will end the 2021 season as a factory Yamaha rider having been promoted from Petronas SRT to take the seat formerly occupied by Maverick Vinales before his axing last month.
On Thursday, Yamaha also confirmed it had signed Morbidelli onto a two-year factory deal through to the end of 2023.
Morbidelli was the top Yamaha runner in 2020, coming second in the standings with three victories, despite riding effectively the 2019 bike, having had the works support he was meant to have changed at the start of the year.
Despite his 2020 success, Yamaha kept him on the ‘A-spec’ version of the M1, with Morbidelli still able to manage a podium at Jerez and a fourth in Portugal on a two-year-old bike before injury curtailed his season in June.
When asked by Autosport ahead of this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix – which Morbidelli won last year – if he felt he was owed factory status given everything he’s been through at SRT, he replied: “I felt I deserved it. I felt I definitely deserved it, and I spoke openly with all the people inside Yamaha.
“Finally, we’re here. So, they didn’t owe me anything, I just felt I deserved something, but for sure Yamaha didn’t owe me anything.”
Franco Morbidelli, Petronas Yamaha SRT
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Morbidelli admits the situation with Vinales’ suspension and ultimately the immediate end of his relationship with Yamaha “added some pepper” to things in MotoGP, but refused to divulge exactly what he thought it could have meant for his own career at the time.
The Italian has been absent since the Dutch TT in June after undergoing an operation on a knee injury he sustained earlier in the year in training.
Originally scheduled to miss three races, that hiatus turned into five grands prix, with Morbidelli admitting he is still struggling to bend his left knee.
“Well, we’ve been focusing quite a lot on the recovery,” Morbidelli said of his time on the sidelines with injury.
“The injury is not that big of a deal, it’s quite a usual injury, but it takes a long time to recover.
“So, we focused on forcing that recovery time. For sure the main thing is the knee bending, it’s difficult to bend the knee.
“But we’ve been forcing and we’ve been focusing quite a lot that, and also keeping an eye on the overall physical shape. We will see this weekend what job we have done.”
Morbidelli confirmed he will work with Vinales’ crew chief Silvano Galbusera for the rest of the 2021 campaign and will not bring Ramon Forcada back to the factory squad (having worked with Vinales previously, as well as Jorge Lorenzo) this year.
He says this was a team decision to avoid making further big changes amidst an already-chaotic period for both Yamaha and SRT.
Related video
Previous article
Honda “needs to follow” Marquez on MotoGP bike development – Espargaro
Next article
Marc Marquez “not enjoying” riding in MotoGP right now
Marco Simoncelli: Remembering MotoGP's ultimate maverick 10 years on
Saturday 23 October marks the 10th anniversary of Marco Simoncelli's death. The one-time 250cc world champion and double MotoGP podium finisher was the ultimate maverick character with big hair, a big personality and an even bigger talent. Autosport pays tribute to a much-missed figure, a decade on
Why Quartararo has evolved more than Yamaha on his road to the MotoGP title
Fabio Quartararo has his first match point in the 2021 MotoGP title race this weekend at Misano. While the 2021 Yamaha is a much-improved bike to its inconsistent predecessor, its the rider himself who has shown the biggest evolution this season. Oriol Puigdemont delves into Quartararo's growth.
How KTM has wrestled control of young MotoGP talent from Honda
There once was a time when Honda controlled any young rider who emerged in motorcycling, but its market dominance has now swung to the side of MotoGP rival KTM and, to a lesser extent Ducati. Could this development have significant ramifications for the future?
Why Marc Marquez has to reinvent himself as a MotoGP rider
Marc Marquez's romp to victory at the Grand Prix of the Americas led many to believe the 'old' pre-injury Honda rider was close to coming back to his full powers. However, the 'old' Marquez will probably never exist again and instead he'll have to adapt to his new reality to return to title-winning ways in 2022
The Marquez self-preservation that fulfilled a COTA MotoGP “dream”
Marc Marquez scorched to his seventh Circuit of the Americas victory in MotoGP last Sunday with a display reminiscent of his pre-injury form. However, his path to the win across the weekend was in keeping with the current reality of his physical limitations, with self-preservation on Saturday key to his Sunday success
How Ducati has developed MotoGP's most versatile bike
His third place at Misano made Enea Bastianini the fifth different Ducati-mounted rider to score a podium in 2021. Amid a season that has seen one rider amass the bulk of Yamaha and Honda's success, the Ducati's versatility makes for a potent weapon, but the contribution of a former leading light shouldn't be forgotten
The next steps in the rebuilding of a stalled MotoGP career
Maverick Vinales’ early debut with Aprilia has been one of the most interesting plots of the recent MotoGP rounds. The results may not look standout on paper, but a closer inspection reveals just how much progress Vinales has truly made in understanding a bike that has taken him well out of his “comfort zone”
How ‘El Diablo’ and ‘the Beast’ starred in MotoGP’s Misano contest
On a day each of the podium trio could claim to be the star of the show, the San Marino Grand Prix will be remembered as a pivotal race in both MotoGP’s present and future. While Fabio Quartararo demonstrated his world title credentials just behind Francesco Bagnaia’s flawless victory charge, a new threat emerged from the shadows
