Morbidelli’s Final MotoGP Season: “I’m Going Through a Difficult Time”

Franco Morbidelli is about to wrap up his MotoGP career before moving to WorldSBK. This is his ninth season in the premier class of the motorcycle world championship, with eighth place as his best result, achieved in the season-opening race in Thailand. Last Sunday in Sepang, he managed to finish in the top 10: a small but significant milestone for the Italian-Brazilian rider and the VR46 team.

Finishing in the top 10 is an ambitious goal for the VR46 Academy graduate, who is going through a difficult spell on the track. In Malaysia, he started from ninth on the grid, but a crash in warm-up suggested the worst was yet to come. Fortunately, Morbidelli escaped unscathed and, for the third time this MotoGP season, finished a full-length race in the top 10. "It's my most ambitious goal, and the team has worked to help me achieve it".

Much of the credit for this result, Franky said, goes to his technical staff. "A lot of things came into play in setting up the bike and, as I said, I spent a lot of time in the office rather than in the garage this weekend because it was too hot," the number 21 rider explained. "But whenever I came in... Matteo (Flamigni) and Daniel (Borroni, electronics engineer) were working tirelessly in my area".

For now, tenth place is a great result for Franco Morbidelli, a far cry from the runner-up finish he secured in 2020. It is also a long way from last year's results, when he finished the MotoGP championship in seventh place, with two podiums in the Grand Prix races and two in the Sprints. "This is my limit at the moment. Well, my goal is to surpass myself. I've just managed it... as I said, three times this year. We all know I'm going through a difficult year, but I can't point to just one reason".

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