        In the Yamaha camp or, more specifically, in the factory Yamaha garage, there is simultaneously laughter and tears. While, on the one hand, the team can celebrate the triumphs of Fabio Quartararo, the undisputed frontrunner in MotoGP right now, on the other hand, there is no denying the fact that Franco Morbidelli is struggling, battling against a whirlwind of negative performances. A whirlwind that began in the second half of 2021 in fact, when Franco - who returned at Misano following a knee injury - climbed aboard the factory M1 vacated by Maverick Vinales. Last season&rsquo;s races served as a lengthy test for the Italian who, on paper at least, should have put that experience into practice in 2022, when the M1 - again on paper - should have become a bike more suited to the number 21 rider. Unfulfilled hopes (for now)  Unfortunately though, the reality is very different, as Morbidelli has been unable to achieve the desired results, aside from a fifth place finish on day 1 in Qatar. He has often found himself languishing in the bottom half of the timesheets and the overall classification can only reflect this of course, with Franco currently placing 19th with 25 points, ten less than his Academy team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, for example. The problems affecting Morbidelli are clear - the 2022 M1 requires a particular riding style that, for now, only Quartararo seems to possess. All the set-up changes therefore appear useless, despite the glimpses of light that Franco occasionally cites over the course of a weekend. Not an easy problem for the former Moto2 champion to fix then, particularly with a view to the future. MotoGP runner-up just two years ago, Franky has a contract with Yamaha for next year but, if there no significant technical changes are forthcoming &ndash; fairly unlikely considering the performance of &lsquo;captain&rsquo; Quartararo &ndash; the Italian risks finding himself in purgatory. Translated by Heather Watson Ducati effective in MotoGP, but a first rider is needed in order to win the title       

Franco was expected to perform at a high level this year, but the limitations of the M1 prevail

MotoGP: 2022 is becoming a nightmare for Morbidelli

During a weekend that was already complicated by the cancellation of Friday&rsquo;s sessions owing to air freight delays, Franco Morbidelli&rsquo;s race in Argentina proved to be an uphill climb and ultimately came to a premature end after a stroke of bad luck. The Italo-Brazilian&rsquo;s Yamaha M1 suffered a puncture, which brought the rider&rsquo;s race to an immediate end.  A disappointing DNF for Morbidelli   &ldquo;Morbido&rdquo; is understandably disappointed and explains: &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t know what caused the puncture. It was real bad luck&rdquo;. Fifteenth on the grid, he was nevertheless confident that he could catch up: &ldquo;We&rsquo;d made real improvement during our second exit in warm-up and I had good pace. I was starting to catch up in the race after an initial slump&rdquo;. He may well have been able to add to his tally of 14 championship points but instead he scored his first 0 of the season.  One of the Yamaha&rsquo;s problems   Having started fifteenth, he was lying eighteenth after lap one and comments: &ldquo;At the start of the race and with new tyres, our rivals have a lot of power so they&rsquo;re able to push and pass us. They don&rsquo;t have stronger pace than us, but they&rsquo;re able to get ahead early on&rdquo;. A real disadvantage for both Morbido and Fabio Quartararo: &ldquo;Then you have to gradually make up this lost ground, but you start from a long way back. It&rsquo;s not ideal&rdquo;. It&rsquo;s not easy to always have to play catch-up. Attention now turns to Texas.  Translated by Heather Watson  Valentino Rossi responds to Lewis Hamilton: &ldquo;Me in F1? I&rsquo;m old, I think&rdquo; 

Forced to retire after just seven laps, the Italo-Brazilian was left disappointed following a race that had also got off to a challenging start

Franco Morbidelli: &ldquo;What bad luck&rdquo;. Here&rsquo;s what happened to him in Argentina

        The 2022 MotoGP season is yet to get underway, but many are already asking whether we will see a return of the &lsquo;2020 version&rsquo; of Franco Morbidelli, or rather, a rider able to win races and fight for the title aboard the Petronas satellite Yamaha M1. Just as he did in his Moto2 days, that saw him win the 2017 title with Marc VDS while riding a Honda-powered Kalex, the Italo-Brazilian rider played a starring role two years ago. Three race victories and two further podiums saw him round out the year as championship runner-up, Joan Mir with the Suzuki. Today, the 27-year old is competing for the Yamaha Monster Energy team, the Iwata manufacturer&rsquo;s factory squad, of which he became part as of the 2021 San Marino and Riviera di Rimini round. When Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales left for Aprilia, Morbido came on board, leaving his place to Andrea Dovizioso. Knee injury behind him? We hope so  And so Franco contested five races aboard the factory M1 alongside Fabio Quartararo, who was ultimately crowned world champion. But while the Frenchman proved incredibly fast, Morbidelli struggled, perhaps due to the change in garage, mentality and technical staff, perhaps due to the additional responsibility he carried on his shoulders, but one detail definitely had a bearing. Before moving to the Yamaha factory team, number 21 hurt his knee at Le Mans. A pity, because the Jerez podium he&rsquo;d scored previously augered well, but instead, the rider was forced to sit out five consecutive weekends, from Assen to Arag&oacute;n, and score zero points as a result. He had no issues as team-mate to nine-time champion Valentino Rossi on the Petronas team. Rather, the problem was the injury and subsequent surgery and rehabilitation. And so when he climbed aboard the Monster Energy bike, Franco wasn&rsquo;t ride, needing time to get back in shape and regain both his speed and automatisms on his bike. Morbido lies in wait. Or is that Quartararo?  Let&rsquo;s say both, for reasons that are at once similar and different. Franco needs to prove himself following promotion to the factory team, while Fabio needs to consolidate his performance, or rather, win again. Easy right? Well, not exactly&hellip; It looks like we might be in for something of a derby inside the Monster Energy garage, even future contract negotiations likely to be a part of the battle. Morbidelli and Quartararo have been MotoGP team-mates already in the past, in 2020, when El Diablo suddently nosedived after having dominated almost all season, slipping from first to eight place in the standings. Of the two, it was the former Moto2 champion who came out on top that season. They were also Petronas travel companions in 2019, but it was the Nice native who did better on that occasion. The pages have turned several times, and now here we are, with everything up for grabs, from trophies and money, to recognition and even their jobs. Will we see a return of the Morbidelli of two years ago, a rider more than capable of putting on a show? Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Zarco: &ldquo;I struggled to maintain concentration in 2021&rdquo;       

Franco just missed out on the title with the Petronas satellite Yamaha two years ago, having previously won in Moto2 in 2017. His Le Mans knee injury now behind him, will the Italo-Brazilian be able to go head to head with Fabio Quartararo? &nbsp;

Will MotoGP see the return of Morbidelli, version 2020?

The Emilia-Romagna GP brings a first championship match point for Fabio Quartararo, who comes to the second Misano round with a 52-point lead over Pecco Bagnaia.  Quartararo: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll try to be smart&rdquo;   A safe margin, which the Frenchman has no intention of squandering. &ldquo;Austin was really tough but rewarding. That second place was great for the championship, especially because we only have three GPs left&rdquo;, El Diablo comments ahead of Misano 2.  After a first part of the season in which he was on the attack, Fabio is now thinking more about the numbers: &ldquo;For this final part of the competition my mindset has changed a little. The last time we were in Misano, I was racing for the win and not thinking about the championship at all. Of course I will still do my best as always to get the best result possible this weekend, because that&rsquo;s what I enjoy most, but I will try to be smart about it&rdquo;, concludes the Yamaha rider, aware that he cannot waste the opportunity to secure his first world title ahead of time.  Morbidelli: &ldquo;A crucial weekend for Yamaha&rdquo;   Franco Morbidelli will take a different approach, not yet fully fit following a knee surgery that has seen him sit out a good part of the season. &ldquo;This is a crucial moment, for Fabio and also for the team and Yamaha, but we&rsquo;ll tackle it like a normal weekend&rdquo;, the Italian comments ahead of his home round. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll give it our all in every session and will work together like a real team&rdquo;. Morbido hopes for a good result that can serve as a morale boost: &ldquo;We made some good progress during the Misano Test in September. We made a big step and improved my feeling with the bike considerably at this track, so I am looking forward to continue working in that direction this weekend&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP: a heartfelt tribute to Simoncelli and Gresini at Misano 

The Frenchman prepares for the weekend that could see him crowned MotoGP world champion two races ahead of time, while team-mate Franco Morbidelli hopes for a good result on home turf

MotoGP Emilia-Romagna, Quartararo:&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be thinking about the championship&rdquo;

        It&rsquo;s been a long wait, and not only due to the injury and the subsequent knee surgery that has kept Morbidelli far from MotoGP for several months, but also the &ldquo;agony&rdquo; of the early part of the season, when an old bike prevented him from fully expressing himself. This weekend brings a rebirth, as Franco will be back on track, and in Yamaha factory colours no less. Morbidelli: "I can&rsquo;t wait to get on the bike&rdquo;  &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been tough watching the racing from home - he told Sky Sport MotoGP - but I have to say that after a while I kind of got used to it and started to follow the races as a real fan. MotoGP is just great and it&rsquo;s a real pleasure to be back, especially in these colours and with this fantastic team. I wasn&rsquo;t really thinking so much about the announcement coming this year. I&rsquo;m really pleased it did, and I can&rsquo;t wait to get on the bike and see how it goes&rdquo;. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m aiming high&rdquo;  But how is Franco physically? &ldquo;I&rsquo;m doing well physically &ndash; he continues &ndash; I can be fairly relaxed with my knee in everyday life and in the gym. I&rsquo;ve tried getting on the bike twice, the first time I couldn&rsquo;t ride but the second time I could, and that&rsquo;s what convinced me to come here. We&rsquo;ve focused a lot on my recovery, as the injury wasn&rsquo;t serious, but the recovery takes a long time. We were optimistic at first, thinking I&rsquo;d only miss three races, but then as time went on, I realised that I&rsquo;d need longer". So this weekend sees the big factory debut: &ldquo;I hope to score good results because with a team of this level, you need to aim high and so that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ll do. I&rsquo;m aware of my physical condition right now, so I won&rsquo;t rush myself, but the goal is to aim high. I believed I deserved the factory Yamaha and spoke openly with everything on the team and in the end, here we are. They didn&rsquo;t owe me anything, but I think I deserved it&rdquo;. On his team-mate  Morbidelli will flank current championship leader Fabio Quartararo: &ldquo;Having Fabio as a team-mate is a problem, because he&rsquo;s very fast, but it&rsquo;s also a challenge and a real opportunity for personal growth because there&rsquo;s a desire to bother him and be quicker than him. This year, I&rsquo;ll be on tip toes because he&rsquo;s fighting for the title, while I&rsquo;m out of the running, so I&rsquo;ll try to do my job calmly and consistently as I&rsquo;m sure he will too. I hope to be quick, not to bother him but to motivate him. We&rsquo;ll see how I am physically, the Yamaha is a friendly bike that&rsquo;s easy to handle so I hope I can be quick as soon as possible&rdquo;. Lastly, on Andrea Dovizioso who will take his place on the Petronas team and Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales&rsquo; departure from the Yamaha factory team: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m pleased that Dovi&rsquo;s with my guys, as they&rsquo;re all fantastic and he&rsquo;s going to have fun and fit in well. A lot went on while I was away. I leave you alone for a minute and all you do is create chaos! I was following what went on, which was interesting, it added a little spice to what normally goes on on track. I&rsquo;m a fan of MotoGP, and in the end I&rsquo;m on a factory bike, what more could I want?&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Rossi: &ldquo;I'll try to be competitive for the fans at Misano&rdquo;       

Franco Morbidelli will debut aboard the Yamaha factory M1 at Misano, after months away following knee surgery

Morbidelli: “They didn’t owe me anything, but I deserved the factory Yamaha”

        The premature departure of Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales from the Monster Energy factory team (the rider initially suspended before his contract was ultimately rescinded) has forced Yamaha to find a solution from now until the end of the season so as not to waste the positive work completed to date. The Silverstone round sees local rider and tester Cal Crutchlow called in to ride (the Brit having already stood in for Morbidelli during the Austrian GPs), with fellow countryman Dixon (a Petronas rider in Moto2) bumbed up to the Malaysian MotoGP team to stand in for a still recovering Morbidelli. But Crutchlow and Dixon are &lsquo;temporary&rsquo; fixes following the Spaniard&rsquo;s departure and the 2020 runner-up&rsquo;s injury, with Quartararo left to battle the Ducatis, Mir and an ever-improving Marquez on his own. Yamaha&rsquo;s next moves  In the press release confirming Vi&ntilde;ales&rsquo; contract rescission, Yamaha announced that it would &lsquo;look for&rsquo; another rider with which to round out this season and plan the next with Morbidelli&rsquo;s promotion from SRT to Monster Energy. Cal Crutchlow could provide that &ldquo;bridge&rdquo; for the factory team from now until the end of the season, considering he&rsquo;s the official test rider, but in the last few hours, there have been increasing rumours that Dovizioso is on the verge of returning to MotoGP and that Morbidelli is ready to climb on the factory M1, leaving his 2019 bike behind. Sky TV claims that Morbidelli is likely to be promoted to Vi&ntilde;ales&rsquo; vacated factory M1 bike as of the Arag&oacute;n round, meaning that he would be back with former team-mate Fabio Quartararo, the duo having already shared a garage in 2019 and 2020. Morbidelli&rsquo;s move, initially expected for 2022, could therefore be brought forward as a way of helping both Fabio and Yamaha itself as they aim for the triple crown of rider&rsquo;s title, constructor&rsquo;s title and team title. And at the same time Petronas SRT would welcome Andrea Dovizioso alongside Valentino Rossi, for an all-Italian line-up on the Malaysian team. For Dovi, this would be a return to Yamaha satellite colours, in that he already rode the Tech3 M1 back in 2012. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Maverick Vi&ntilde;ales could already race with Aprilia in 2021       

The Italo-Brazilian will be back with Quartararo as of Arag&oacute;n while Dovi will take up the SRT seat left vacant as a result of Morbido moving to the Monster Energy team &nbsp;

MotoGP, Yamaha’s moves as of Aragón: Morbidelli-official, Dovizioso-Petronas

The news was already in the air and now it&rsquo;s official - Cal Crutchlow will stand in for Franco Morbidelli on the Petronas Yamaha team for the next three races. The Italian continues to recover after injuring his left knee and, in agreement with the team, prefers to get back to full fitness before returning to his M1.  Crutchlow will take part in the two Austrian rounds and the Silverstone round, his home race. This marks a return for the 35-year old British rider after he retired at the end of 2020, before becoming test rider for Yamaha.  Razali: &quot;We have no real targets&quot;   &ldquo;Cal is an experienced rider and will be able to rack up some good mileage on our M1, which should aid him with his testing and development work for Yamaha&rdquo; comments team principal Razlan Razali. &ldquo;Cal will replace Franco for the next three races and we have no real targets for him in terms of results. We will do all we can to help support him and make him feel comfortable in the team. He&rsquo;s already familiar with some of the key people in the team, which helps, and I&rsquo;m sure he&rsquo;s up for the challenge&rdquo;.  Crutchlow: &quot;I hope Frankie is back soon&quot;   An enthusiasm that Crutchlow himself shares: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to be back riding with Yamaha this year as the official test rider and to be able to step in when needed is good for all parties. I&rsquo;m looking forward to riding for Petronas Yamaha SRT in the three Grands Prix. Obviously it&rsquo;s not in the best circumstances and I wish Franco a good recovery, I hope he comes back strongly after the knee surgery. I&rsquo;m sure he will because he&rsquo;s been riding fantastically over the last two years&rdquo;.  Cal&rsquo;s not setting himself any goals, aside from clocking up some precious miles as he continues to help develop the M1: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s difficult to set targets for these three races and it will be more about understanding the bike, as I&rsquo;ve had limited riding days this year. The good thing will be that I can compare the bikes and I should be able to gather a lot of data for Yamaha. It&rsquo;s a very competitive MotoGP class, but I&rsquo;m really looking forward to it and it&rsquo;s going to be good to be back on the grid&rdquo;.  And Crutchlow won&rsquo;t be the only rider returning to the top class after the summer break, as Daniel Pedrosa will also be on track at the Styrian GP, competing as a wildcard for KTM.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Razali: &ldquo;Morbidelli will replace Vinales. Dovizioso? We want youngsters&rdquo; 

The Iwata manufacturer&rsquo;s current test rider will stand in for the number 21 rider at the next three MotoGP rounds. Franco continues to recover from a knee injury

MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow to substitute for Franco Morbidelli at Petronas

        Franco Morbidelli hasn&rsquo;t had a lucky 2021 season so far, currently resting up after knee surgery, but despite this his future appears very bright. The strong results he scored in 2020 haven&rsquo;t gone unnoticed, and it appears (quite predictably) that #21 will replace Maverick Vinales on the factory team&rsquo;s Yamaha M1.&nbsp; Positive confirmation  A rumour that had been circulating in the paddock for weeks, but that is now confirmed by Razlan Razali, owner of the Petronas team that currently fields Morbidelli. &ldquo;Although it&rsquo;s not yet official &ndash; explains Razali - Franco should replace Maverick Vinales in 2022. It&rsquo;s a natural pathway as well as Franco&rsquo;s dream, so it wouldn&rsquo;t be right to deny him this opportunity. As a team, we&rsquo;ve given him our OK, any developments now depend on Yamaha and VR46, which manages him&rdquo;. Room for the youngsters  With Morbidelli expected to move to the factory team and Valentino Rossi looking likely to retire, Razali is forced to look around and seek new riders that meet specific criteria. Paddock radio has thrown out all kinds of names, from Andrea Dovizioso to Jonathan Rea, but the Malaysian team boss is of a different opinion. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to disrespect Valentino Rossi, but we don&rsquo;t want to find ourselves in a similar situation next year. Valentino has improved compared to last year, but he&rsquo;s currently struggling to reach the points zone. Dovizioso would be coming off a year&rsquo;s break, which would clash with the current level. So we&rsquo;d prefer to consider youngsters that we can help develop, like with Quartararo, to help them gain experience in the category&rdquo;. One rider that comes to mind is Raul Fernandez, a key player on the Moto2 market, but firstly there would be the KTM obstacle to overcome and, secondly, would the Spaniard even want to move up after what would be only one year in the intermediate class, albeit at a very high level? Another name that could fit Razali&rsquo;s bill is that of Marco Bezzecchi, although he is linked to the newly created VR46 team, and therefore dependent on its decision. So the future Petronas riders remain a mystery, soon to be solved no doubt. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Albesiano: &ldquo;Dovizioso has really helped Aprilia&rdquo;       

The Petronas team boss reveals: "It&rsquo;s Franco&rsquo;s dream as well as a natural pathway, we&rsquo;ve given him the OK. Andrea hasn&rsquo;t ridden for a year, we wouldn&rsquo;t want to relive the current situation with Rossi"

MotoGP, Razali: “Morbidelli will replace Vinales. Dovizioso? We want youngsters”

        Franco Morbidelli is not at Assen and is substituted by Garrett Gerloff for this ninth round of the season while he undergoes surgery. The Italo-Brazilian had opted for an operation on left knee and Petronas team manager Wilco Zeelenberg confirms that the surgery has taken place. "It will be tough without him"  &ldquo;We miss him and it&rsquo;s sad not to have him here with us of course&rdquo;, admits the Dutchman. But the rider had been carrying the knee injury for a while: &ldquo;He had difficulty going from one bike to another at Le Mans and he hit his knee more than once&rdquo;. Everything has gone to plan though: &ldquo;I received a message from his assistant Manuel Lucchetti and he&rsquo;s had the surgery, but we have no other updates. We send him all our best wishes and hope to manage the team and the situation in the best way. It&rsquo;ll be tough without him at this point of the championship though&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, 2021 calendar update: Texas in, Japan out        

The Petronas team manager comments on the Italo-Brazilian&rsquo;s absence. The rider has undergone surgery on his left knee and will be replaced on track by Gerloff

MotoGP, Zeelenberg: “Morbidelli has had surgery, sad he’s not here”

        Team GRT Yamaha WorldSBK rider Garrett Gerloff will stand in for Franco Morbidelli during the Dutch GP, taking place on 25-27 June. Yamaha confirmed the news on Wednesday morning, a few hours after Morbidelli injured his left knee. Gerloff, 25, is currently making an impression in the WorldSBK championship and has just completed testing at Navarra, where he was very fast. It is he who will join Valentino Rossi at the tough Assen track, rather than Toprak Razgatlioglu, who was also in line for the ride but prefers to focus on the production-derived championship. Gerloff&rsquo;s words  &ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited for the opportunity ahead, I&rsquo;m not someone who runs away from a challenge, so I&rsquo;m ready to get to the track&rdquo;, comments the Texan. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be a new circuit for me, I like trying new tracks, it looks fun, fast and flowing, and really suits my riding style. I&rsquo;m looking forward to jumping on the Yamaha M1 again and twisting the throttle. We&rsquo;ll see how things go, but I feel good and would like to thank Yamaha and the team for considering me. It won't be easy, but I'm going to give it my best shot!&rdquo; Garrett already rode the M1 during Friday&rsquo;s sessions at the 2020 Europe GP, when he was called upon to stand in for Valentino Rossi after the Italian tested positive for Covid-19. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Holland, Valentino Rossi returns to "his" Assen       

The Yamaha Superbike rider will stand in for Frankie, forced to miss the Dutch GP due to a knee injury

MotoGP: Garrett Gerloff to replace Franco Morbidelli at Assen

        Friday at the Catalunya GP brings an excellent second place finish for Franco Morbidelli, behind Zarco. Despite his Yamaha M1&rsquo;s lack of top speed, it appears Morbido is getting on well with the fast turns at Montmel&oacute;. &ldquo;I can give it my best and exploit my bike&rsquo;s strong points through the fast turns&rdquo;, explains number 21. &ldquo;We started well right from the first laps in FP1 and are already competitive in terms of both the flying lap and our race pace, so it&rsquo;s been a very positive day for us&rdquo;. "There&rsquo;s little grip, it&rsquo;s like being at the ranch"  &ldquo;I got on well with both the harder and the medium tyre, but it&rsquo;s too soon to say which might be the best solution for the race, as both compounds seem to work very well on this kind of track, with its particular asphalt and layout&rdquo;, continues the team Petronas rider. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s very little grip, but that&rsquo;s not a massive problem for me as I can still ride very fast. It&rsquo;s almost like being at the ranch&rdquo;, jokes Franco. &ldquo;For the race I know it will be tough for me, as always, and this is why my crew chief and I are ready to risk using a more aggressive set-up solution. What counts right now is that I&rsquo;m able to have fun in the saddle&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Catalunya, Martin: &ldquo;The crash? I hit my head so don't remember it&rdquo;       

The team Petronas rider, second on Friday at Montmel&oacute;, doesn&rsquo;t hide his satisfaction. "I&rsquo;m fast despite the lack of grip. I&rsquo;m finally have fun on the bike"

MotoGP Catalunya, Morbidelli: “Ready to risk to stay up front”

        Friday at Mugello has gone very well for Franco Morbidelli, who places third in the combined free practice standings, the best of the Yamaha riders despite having a less advanced bike and a lower top speed compared to the competition. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve started this home round well. I immediately felt comfortable through the Mugello turns, always an emotional experience. We need to work to improve our performance though as we&rsquo;re really behind in terms of our top speed, but I&rsquo;m pleased with today&rdquo;, comments Franco. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t easy to complete a clean lap without traffic though, because many riders were slowing down to wait for a tow, like in the minor classes. It&rsquo;s normal at Mugello, because it&rsquo;s a track where the slipstream counts also in MotoGP, but it made it harder to complete an uninterrupted lap&rdquo;, continues the Petronas rider. "It won&rsquo;t be easy to run at the front in the race"  #21 also appears competitive over race distance, especially with medium tyres: &ldquo;it seems like the best tyre here is the medium, and I got on well with it. We didn&rsquo;t try the hard, so we don&rsquo;t know what we&rsquo;ll use for the race yet, but we still have tomorrow to decide&rdquo;. &ldquo;All in all, I have good feeling on track and although we have low top speed, I can make up for this through the turns and the rest of the track. As for the race, I know it won&rsquo;t be easy to score a good result, especially if it's a close race all the way to the line, as we&rsquo;ll have little chance of being able to stay at the front&rdquo;, he concludes. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Ducati: and if Bagnaia were the right man for the title?       

Franco finished Friday at Mugello with a solid third place, but he&rsquo;s aware of the bike&rsquo;s limits. &ldquo;If there&rsquo;s a close finish it&rsquo;ll be very hard for us. Many waited for a tow today"

MotoGP Italy, Morbidelli: “We’re suffering in terms of top speed”

        Franco Morbidelli seemed to have found the right direction after the technical difficulties he experienced in Qatar, but then at Le Mans he failed to score points. A racing incident with Pol Espargaro immediately ruled him out and his attempts to rejoin the race and collect a few points were in vain. The knee injury  He also struggled with a physical problem over the weekend, or rather pain in his knee. On Saturday, while practicing the flag-to-flag procedure, his knee gave in and he had to seek assistance from the Clinica Mobile. Having taken antibiotics before the race, the pain returned after he crashed, but despite this he got back in the saddle with the aim of reaching the finish line. He won&rsquo;t need a surgery but he needs to be careful that the problem doesn&rsquo;t arise again in the next race. Eighth in the championship  He could have done without this physical injury of course, considering that his season has already got off to a tough start. Morbidelli took his second &ldquo;zero&rdquo; at Le Mans, finishing outside the top fifteen, and only has one podium to his name to date, the third-place finish at Jerez. &ldquo;Morbido" currently lies eighth in the championship, not enough for the current championship runner-up. He clearly needs to find his way and perhaps Mugello, the stage for the next round, could be the right track at which to do that. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP: Quartararo, a Yamaha hunted by three Ducatis       

The Italo-Brazilian scored no points in the last race, where he also suffered from a leg problem

MotoGP France, what has happened to Franco Morbidelli?

The aim? To do it again. Franco Morbidelli was back on the podium at Jerez, despite his much-discussed technical situation, and he wants to ride the wave in France. Before thinking about the future though, Franco takes one more look to the past, and that very podium.  &ldquo;The Jerez podium had a special flavour&nbsp;-&nbsp;explains Morbidelli -&nbsp;considering what I&rsquo;m going through. Once I&rsquo;d passed the chequered flag, there was an explosion of emotion, it all came at once. At the end of the day, any MotoGP podium is always a wonderful thing&rdquo;.  Morbidelli: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve adjusted my expectations for 2021&rdquo;   With Jerez done and dusted, Morbidelli analyses his current form and confesses that he should have been more realistic at the start of the season.  &ldquo;I soon adjusted my expectations for the year, already after the Qatar races. I realised that I&rsquo;d need to raise the bar to remain at the front, and that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m trying to do with the team. The atmosphere in my garage is calm, but we know we need to give it our all&rdquo;.  Franco closes by touching on the risk of rain, always something to keep in mind at Le Mans and something he&rsquo;s not particularly excited about.  &ldquo;It&rsquo;s too soon to say but I don&rsquo;t think rain can help me, as I&rsquo;ve never been very quick in the wet. I&rsquo;ll try anyway, but it will be hard. I&rsquo;ve only ever scored one podium in the wet in my career, and that&rsquo;s it. If it rains I&rsquo;ll take the opportunity to see whether what we tested at Jerez might be useful in the wet&rdquo;.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP France, Miller: &ldquo;I have a score to settle with Le Mans&rdquo; 

&quot;After the first two races, I realised that I&rsquo;d need to improve to stay at the front, and that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m trying to do. I don&rsquo;t think the rain can help me, I&rsquo;ve never been quick in the wet&rdquo;

MotoGP, Morbidelli: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve adjusted my expectations for the season&rdquo;

        Le Mans is an important track on the MotoGP calendar and team Petronas riders Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi are called upon to step up and score some significant results. After the Jerez race, where Morbidelli finished on the third step of the podium, the French GP will serve to verify his speed. Meanwhile Rossi has different objectives, having struggled to express himself so far this season. The nine-time champion has won at Le Mans on three previous occasions though, so it&rsquo;s clearly a circuit that can work in his favour. &ldquo;I want to be stronger&rdquo;  "Undoubtedly this weekend I want to be stronger, recover positions and be faster compared to the last round in Jerez - comments Rossi, ahead of the weekend - Last year I was strong in the dry conditions in Le Mans, I was fast and had a good race pace, but it started to rain just before the race and I crashed on the first corner. It&rsquo;s a great track, with a lot of changes in direction due to the chicanes and I like it a lot. With good grip and strong acceleration, it is a really nice track to ride. We hope that we can have good weather from FP1 until the end of the race. We had a good test last week in Jerez, where we were able to improve different aspects and I hope that we see this also at Le Mans." &ldquo;A track where you have to brake hard&rdquo;  Franco Morbidelli also talks about his expectations for the weekend: &ldquo;Le Mans is a circuit that I like; it is where I won a Moto2 race, so I have good results from there. In the Monday test in Jerez we focused on the braking and this is a circuit where you have to be really strong on the brakes. Also the opening corners are quite tricky and it&rsquo;s important to get the first corner right, to make the following ones easier. It&rsquo;s difficult but really nice. I hope we can confirm the positive feedback and feeling from the test and it can be useful for the weekend. It also felt wonderful to be back on the podium in Jerez, and I hope we can continue that in our next race this weekend." Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP France, Marc Marquez: &ldquo;I don't want to complicate my life&rdquo;       

The Italian rider and his team-mate Franco Morbidelli anxiously await the French round. The goal? To achieve good results at a track they both enjoy &nbsp;

MotoGP France, Rossi: “Improvements in testing, I want to be faster”

        On the eve of the third GP of the season, Franco Morbidelli is ready to race at the sharp end aboard his Petronas Yamaha M1. The Italo-Brazilian had trouble during the opening rounds in Qatar, but he hasn&rsquo;t lost his motivation ahead of the upcoming race at the rollercoaster Portim&atilde;o track, where he reached the podium in 2020. &ldquo;We start with a clean sheet in Portim&atilde;o&rdquo;, explains number 21. &ldquo;The two Qatar rounds were complicated and we weren&rsquo;t able to achieve the results we hoped for, so I&rsquo;m happy to head to a track like Portim&atilde;o, where we were very competitive at the end of last year&rdquo;. &ldquo;The basic bike set-up will be more or less the same as it was over the last weekends, but it should work better in Portugal. My motivation is still high, also after seeing the performance of the official Yamaha riders, who actually push me to work even harder to obtain better conditions and greater consideration from the manufacturer&rdquo;, continues 21. "Pleased about Yamaha&rsquo;s counter-measures"  As for the problems in Qatar, &ldquo;Morbido&rdquo; is quick to assure us: &ldquo;Yamaha has answered all my questions, both after the first races and once we got here. I&rsquo;m pleased with the counter-measures taken because that confirms that they are working hard for me too&rdquo;. &ldquo;Personally, I can only say that I&rsquo;ve worked hard, physically and mentally, over the last ten days and will aim to do my best with what I have available&rdquo;, concludes the 2020 runner-up. Translated by Heather Watson Portugal GP, manufacturer stats       

Despite a difficult start to the season in Qatar, the team Petronas rider knows he can be competitive in the Algarve: &ldquo;We were strong here last year&rdquo;

MotoGP Portugal, Morbidelli: “I’ve not lost my motivation”

        Petronas riders Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi head into round three with just four points in the standings. The two Losail events proved difficult for both riders, albeit for different reasons, and the pair hope to get back on the right track at Portim&atilde;o. Morbido has good memories  MotoGP made its debut at this track only a few months ago, local rider Miguel Oliveira taking centre stage. Behind him Jack Miller and Franco Morbidelli battled it out for second and the Italo-Brazilian hopes for a similar race this year. &ldquo;Having reached the podium in Portugal last season, I hope we can get that good rhythm back and be in the mix for a good result this weekend too. Every race is different. We have the data from last year and know we were fast, so at least we&rsquo;ll have something to use as a comparison&rdquo;. &ldquo;Morbido&rdquo; looks on the bright side with regard to the previous races: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re improving in every race and have tried to understand what happened with our set-up in Qatar, we hope we've found some improvements and can continue in a positive vein this weekend&rdquo;. "Portim&atilde;o? Beautiful but difficult"  The Doctor is also ready to head out back out on track and comments: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s wonderful, something different to all the other tracks, but it&rsquo;s also very difficult. It takes time to learn this track and every time you race here you can improve on something&rdquo;. Valentino Rossi wants to start out with the positive sensations found at Losail: "In the Doha GP warm-up, we found something new, which means I was able to maintain a better pace, but we were hindered by a poor starting position. We hope to be stronger in this third race, but also in the next European races&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP Portugal, behind the scenes with Marc M&aacute;rquez: &ldquo;I wanted Qatar&rdquo;       

The two Tavullia riders want do well at the Portuguese track after a tough start to their season

MotoGP Portugal: high hopes for Morbidelli and Rossi at Portimão

        2021 will be an important year for Franco Morbidelli as, after several seasons as a MotoGP apprentice, the 2020 runner-up is no longer an outsider but one of the sure-fire stars of the show. The team Petronas rider is aware of this change: &ldquo;It will be important to consolidate my position at the top again this year and I&rsquo;ve worked hard this winter to further improve my performance. After a tricky start and some good and bad seasons, I&rsquo;ve now shown that I&rsquo;m ready to fight for the win, so I need to continue along this path&rdquo;. In terms of his technical package, Franco will have the same bike as last year: &ldquo;Racing with the same M1 as last year, a bike I got on so well with, might be an advantage for me because I&rsquo;m starting with a good base. I&rsquo;m not complaining that I don&rsquo;t have the latest bike, but this MotoGP trend that pushes everyone into signing new contracts so early might become problematic in certain circumstances&rdquo;.  &ldquo;Rossi? A friend, but also my number one rival&rdquo;  His new team-mate is Valentino Rossi, with whom Morbidelli has a great relationship within the Academy, but this year he will need to consider him a rival: &ldquo;Vale and I know each other very well, we&rsquo;re friends away from the track and train together. He&rsquo;s also a rival of course, but it&rsquo;s impossible to separate Valentino the rider from Valentino friend and mentor, so it will be important to measure up to him, remembering that human relationships always come first though&rdquo;. As for Marquez, the 2017 Moto2 champion isn&rsquo;t giving much away: &ldquo;I have no idea what Marquez has been through from a physical and mental standpoint during this year away, but I struggle to remember any great champion, in any sport, having to take such a break at the peak of their career. He&rsquo;ll still be strong when he returns, but he&rsquo;ll struggle to forget such an experience&rdquo;. MotoGP: Will Franco Morbidelli &lsquo;suffer' from Valentino Rossi's arrival? &ldquo;The Qatar double-header will be key&rdquo;  Lastly, Morbido touches on the upcoming Losail tests: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a strange start to the championship, because we have two tests in Qatar followed by two races at the same track. With so much data available, the margin for error is small, because we&rsquo;ll all be so close. We&rsquo;ll probably get a better idea of where everyone is once we get to Jerez, but the first races are key, especially in such an uncertain season&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, revenge and one last triumph: Rossi's motivation ahead of 2021       

&ldquo;I can't remember any great champion having to take such a break during their career...", says the Petronas Yamaha SRT rider, one of the title contenders in a season that already looks uncertain

MotoGP, Morbidelli: “Marquez? He’ll struggle to forget the injury”

        The month of March opens with the 2021 Petronas Yamaha Team presentation. The virtual unveiling has revealed the livery of the M1 bikes that will take to the track this season, and their riders too. As well as reconfirmed Franco Morbidelli, the team&rsquo;s highly anticipated new entry is nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, who takes on a new challenge this season. The 2021 challenge begins  On hand to do the honours was Petronas boss Razlan Razali, who looked back at the 2020 season and outlined the goals for 2021: &ldquo;I hope 2021 is an exciting year, even if it&rsquo;s the second with Covid-19. I&rsquo;m sure that we&rsquo;ll do well with our new line-up. We achieved incredible results in 2020, with pole positions and wins, and we want to do even better in 2021. In Moto2 we&rsquo;ll have Jake Dixon and Xavi Vierge, while our MotoGP flagbearers are Franco Morbidelli and living legend Valentino Rossi. The common goal? To win!&rdquo; Team Director Johan Stigefelt also took to the stage: &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve taken big steps forward in Moto 3 and Moto2 - he explained - achieving podiums and seeing our riders get stronger and stronger. We have two important riders in Moto2. They&rsquo;ve shown their potential in many races and we expect an increasingly strong 2021 from them. The riders can further improve as they work to find greater feeling. In MotoGP, Franco was very determined in 2020 and should continue to score great results. He&rsquo;ll have Rossi as a team-mate, who I hope adapts well to the team&rdquo;.  In the words of the riders  Moto2 riders Xavi Vierge and Jake Dixon also clarified their aims. &ldquo;My 2021 goal? To fight for the top five&rdquo;, commented Vierge, &ldquo;I have more experience and will try not to make the same mistakes as last year. I&rsquo;ll try to be calmer&rdquo;. &ldquo;Our goal is to aim for the podium&rdquo;, said Dixon, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll try to improve, with less accidents and more consistency". Veteran John McPhee will fight for the title in Moto3: &ldquo;The title is within my reach, so I&rsquo;ll be aiming for that. We have the speed but tactics are sometimes more important than anything else in Moto3, so I&rsquo;ll try to improve there too&rdquo;. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll try to do my best - comments new hire Darryn Binder - and be on the podium as often as possible. I&rsquo;ll work hard to score the best result in every race. I really want to improve in qualifying, as that&rsquo;s my weak point&rdquo;. Morbidelli and Rossi, the dream team Lastly, the two MotoGP stars unveiled their prototypes. The livery is similar to that of last season, with its black and emerald green graphics. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to work with a team for more than one season - said Morbidelli - they are really professional. This year I&rsquo;ll share the garage with Vale and I expect a good year. I&rsquo;m excited to get back on the bike, I can&rsquo;t wait&rdquo;. And on the other side of the garage, Valentino Rossi: &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t wait to get started - said the nine-time world champion - I want to be competitive, win races, and fight for the podium. We&rsquo;re focused on doing well, and I&rsquo;m proud to be part of team Petronas. I&rsquo;ve had a long career and many seasons with Yamaha, I know the bike and can&rsquo;t wait to begin this new season&rdquo;. Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Valentino Rossi admits: &ldquo;I still think about 2015&rdquo;       

Team-mates Valentino Rossi and Franco Morbidelli are seen in team colours for the first time, alongside the 2021 Yamaha prototypes &nbsp;

MotoGP, Petronas Yamaha unveils its 2021 M1 bikes

        It&rsquo;s almost time for the Team Petronas SRT presentation. The Malaysian outfit, which will field Franco Morbidelli and Valentino Rossi in this year's MotoGP championship, will present its team to the press on Monday 1 March. Live streaming  The current MotoGP runner-up and a part of the team since 2019, Morbidelli will take centre stage, joined by nine-time world champion Rossi, as they prepare to unveil the livery of the 2021 Yamaha YZR-M1. Moto2 riders Xavi Vierge and Jake Dixon will also be in attendance, as will Moto3 duo John McPhee and Darryn Binder. As we await the official presentation, the team headed up by Razlan Razali has released a brief video teaser in which we see some details of the helmets and suits worn by Valentino and Franco.             Visualizza questo post su Instagram  Un post condiviso da PETRONAS SRT (@sepangracingteam)      Translated by Heather Watson MotoGP, Quartararo: &ldquo;I was unable to manage the pressure&rdquo;       

Expectation builds ahead of the Rossi-Morbidelli presentation, the Malaysian team sharing a brief video in the run up to the March 1 event &nbsp;

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