The current runner-up in the world suffered last June from an injury that dragged on his left knee and had to undergo surgery. Morbidelli missed five races in this period and reappeared this Friday at Misano.
The Italian-Brazilian was announced a day earlier as the new rider for the Iwata brand’s factory team, thus inheriting an official M1 after having started the season with the 2019 bike at the satellite team Petronas SRT.
Morbidelli finished 16th in the first free practice, which was interrupted by the onset of rain, while in the second, already held in completely wet conditions, he was 13th. At the end of the day, #21 still did not want to make comparisons between the two bikes.
“I have noticed some differences, but after being off the track for so long I don’t feel like making a judgment right away. Today I had to find out how I felt, how my leg reacted, I had to get in touch with the bike to test some solutions. Overall it was a good day for me,” Franky introduced.
“After three months out, MotoGP seemed like a spaceship to me. In the first four or five laps the speed impressed me a lot. 15 days ago I couldn’t even ride a motorcycle, but there has been a big improvement in the last week. I arrived in Misano not knowing what to expect,” he explained.
Along with the promotion to the factory team, Yamaha also announced the extension of Morbidelli’s contract until 2023 . The former Moto2 world champion is confident of getting back to the level he was before the injury.
“I have been quite fast, so better. Now I want to continue with the work program to see the physical improvement that I am experiencing. To get to the top, it takes a little more time, but surely the situation will be resolved,” he settled.
(Click on this link or on the image to see the photos of Franco Morbidelli’s debut with the official Yamaha team at the 2021 MotoGP San Marino GP)
