Petronas SRT unveils 2021 MotoGP livery with Rossi and Morbidelli
Petronas SRT has become the latest MotoGP team to unveil the livery its 2021 challengers will race in the new season with revised line-up of Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi
The 2021 season will be SRT's third in the premier class, with the Yamaha satellite team in its short tenure already a six-time race winner.
Last year, Morbidelli won three times on his way to runner-up spot in the championship, and ended up just 13 points behind title winner Joan Mir.
For 2021, SRT welcomes nine-time grand prix world champion Rossi to its ranks, after the Italian legend elected to extend his MotoGP career by another year at least.
This is the first season Rossi has been a Yamaha rider but not racing in its factory colours, but will remain a factory-contracted rider with full works support in 2021.
The 2021 season will be Rossi's 26th in grand prix racing and his 16th in MotoGP as a Yamaha rider.
Despite his best efforts, Rossi hasn't been able to bring his entire crew from the factory Yamaha team to SRT, with the Italian only able to keep crew chief David Munoz, data engineer Matteo Flamigni and rider coach Idalio Gavira.
Rossi protégé Morbidelli won't have machine parity with the factory riders again in 2021, despite finishing last season as Yamaha's best rider.
Instead, Yamaha has decided to keep him on the 'A-spec' M1 he rode in 2020 - which is effectively a 2019 bike.
At its own launch event last month, Yamaha explained that it wasn't possible to guarantee factory machinery for Morbidelli for this season when it made its decision but conceded that he deserved it.
Only two teams have yet to unveil their 2021 liveries, but will do so this week, with Aprilia set to reveal its new RS-GP's colours on 4 March followed by Suzuki on 6 March.
Pre-season testing will begin on 6 March, with the shakedown outing in Qatar for test riders taking place the day before.
As well as its MotoGP colours, SRT also unveiled those of its Moto3 riders John McPhee and Darryn Binder, and Moto2 line-up Jake Dixon and Xavi Vierge.
Espargaro: Pressure "high" to learn Honda without Marquez
SRT "seemed more upset" than Yamaha at 2020 MotoGP title loss
Armstrong joins Ganassi for IndyCar road and street courses
Formula 2 race winner Marcus Armstrong has signed a deal to drive a fourth Chip Ganassi Racing entry on 2023’s road and street courses.
Watch Qualifying Now – Le Mans Virtual Series, 500 Miles of Sebring
Watch qualifying for the fourth round of the 2022 Le Mans Virtual Series which will take place at Sebring
Mercedes' F1 strategy chief Vowles eyes next racing challenge
After Formula 1's gruelling 2022 schedule, you could forgive hard-working team personnel for wanting to switch off completely and not see a motor racing paddock for a while.
Ferrari’s Binotto F1 split looks ‘strange’, says Brundle
Ferrari’s parting of ways with team boss Mattia Binotto appears ‘strange’ if no top-level figure has been lined up to replace him, reckons Sky Formula 1 pundit Martin Brundle.
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Was the MotoGP 2022 title won by Bagnaia or lost by Quartararo?
Reigning MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo had a 91-point lead over rival Francesco Bagnaia after the German Grand Prix, a seemingly impregnable gap to overcome in the remaining 10 races. But as the Frenchman struggled for pace with his Yamaha, Bagnaia stormed back into contention and swept to Ducati's first riders' title since 2007
Why there's more to Honda's 2023 MotoGP bike than the Valencia test suggests
After a run on Honda's 2023 prototype MotoGP bike, six-time champion Marc Marquez made his pessimism clear with his initial reaction. But the Japanese marque has made leadership changes behind closed doors - and a more representative bike promised for the Malaysia test in February could placate Marquez
Why the new MotoGP world champion has a stronger character than it seems
While new MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia might not be the loudest rider on the grid, his calm exterior belies a steely backbone. His part in turning around Ducati's fortunes at the start of the year, when displeased with a new engine concept, shows the strength of his character
Why Bagnaia's MotoGP triumph is as worthy as Stoner's Ducati breakthrough
OPINION: Despite the superiority exhibited by the Ducati in 2022, the context in which Francesco Bagnaia became MotoGP world champion means that both the rider and the Italian marque merit the same recognition that the brand and Casey Stoner received after their 2007 title
Why the 2022 MotoGP season had a bittersweet ending
OPINION: MotoGP’s fifth last round showdown of the modern era delivered a tense finale despite the predictable outcome, as Francesco Bagnaia ended 15 years of pain for Ducati. But as emotions ran high for the Italian marque, a final victory for a departing Japanese rival tinged the campaign’s conclusion with sadness
Why the 2023 MotoGP title battle has already begun
Since Ducati announced the arrival of Enea Bastianini to its factory team for 2023, the staging of the four-time race winner has strained the atmosphere within the Italian manufacturer, which has raised its guard in anticipation of what may happen between him and championship favourite Francesco Bagnaia
Why Yamaha has just six months to safeguard its MotoGP champion's future
Yamaha's decision to dispense pre-season with the 2022 engine it had intended to use due to lack of reliability, the promises of improvement to Fabio Quartararo and the advance with which the rider market moves leaves the Japanese brand with less than six months to prevent the Frenchman from starting to look for a way out