Yamaha made official this Thursday in the run-up to the San Marino Grand Prix what had been planned for a few weeks: Franco Morbidelli will play the final part of the 2021 MotoGP season with the official team. The Italian, current world runner-up, will take the place left by Maverick Viñales, who terminated his contract with the tuning fork brand last August.
The Roman rider leaves the Petronas SRT satellite team to join the official Monster Yamaha , where he will meet again Fabio Quartararo as a teammate after having shared the box in 2019 and 2020.
Morbidelli will reappear this weekend at Misano after missing the last five races due to a long-standing left knee injury that worsened before the Dutch Grand Prix, forcing him to undergo surgery.
“I am very happy and happy to face this weekend and this long-awaited new chapter with the official Yamaha team. I have tried to recover as much as possible for the final part of this championship. I wanted to reappear on a track that I know well and from which I have great memories, like Misano,” said Morbidelli , who won his first MotoGP race here last year.
“I am looking forward to getting on the bike and starting my journey with the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team. Of course, I need and want to thank all the people who have made this possible, starting with [Hiroshi] Ito-san, Lin [Jarvis ], Maio [Meregalli], [Takahiro] Sumi-san, the VR46 Riders Academy, and all the other people who have made it possible.”
At 26 years old, Morbidelli will immediately have an official M1 , after Yamaha could not give him factory material for this season in the SRT. In his fourth season in the premier class, the former Moto2 world champion in 2017 has accumulated three MotoGP victories and six podium finishes. The place of #21 in the SRT will be filled by Andrea Dovizioso.
“First of all, we want to thank Petronas Yamaha SRT for allowing Franky to make his dream come true and let him step up to the factory team ahead of schedule,” said Lin Jarvis , Yamaha MotoGP General Manager. “Originally, we had planned for Franky to be promoted from 2022, but after a sudden change of drivers in the middle of the season, we had the opportunity to allow him to be promoted earlier.
“Secondly, I want to give a warm welcome to Franky . He is exceptionally talented. This was even more apparent last year when he took second place in the championship and scored five podium finishes and three wins on the satellite Yamaha. It shows the type of rider he is: committed to getting the best out of the YZR-M1 in any circumstance.”
“Naturally, we are delighted that Franky is back in the paddock and that he is well enough to start racing again. He will have to get into shape gradually, in line with his physical improvement, as he is still recovering. 2021 is left for him to adapt to the team and feel comfortable on the bike”.
“We have already finalized our plans for 2022 and 2023, with Franky receiving the full support of Yamaha Motor Company. We are confident that a skilled, calm and experienced rider like Franky will strengthen the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team and enjoy great success in the future.” “, he riveted.
(Click on the link or on the image to see the photos of Franco Morbidelli’s 2021 season in MotoGP)
