MotoGP – Morbidelli analyzes the difficult situation of Quartararo

October 6, 2022

Fabio Quartararo is the only rider of the tuning fork brand capable of extracting the full potential of the M1 , even though he has not been able to get too much juice out of it recently. In the eyes of most of the paddock, that the Frenchman remains at the top of the points table is something close to a miracle. However, the Devil has only been able to add 47 points in the last seven events for the 136 that Pecco Bagnaia has accumulated, who last weekend, in Thailand, was only two behind the still leader of the contest.

The trajectories of the Italian and the boy from Nice so far this season have followed opposite dynamics, hoping that they can cross paths soon. Another of the contrasts between them is the lack of help from #20, who must face the legion that Ducati has every Sunday. The eight Desmosedici that will coincide on the track this 2022 represent a very powerful army, especially if we take into account that the Borgo Panigale brand has found the key so that practically any of its drivers is in a position to get on the podium. In fact, only two riders out of the eight who compete with a Ducati (Luca Marini and Fabio Di Giannantonio) have not been able to get on top of the box. At the other extreme is Yamaha, since the only one that has managed to do it has been Quartararo.

The case of Franco Morbidelli, runner-up in the 2020 world and who has not raised his head since he was injured in the knee last year, is especially striking. With three races to go before the World Cup concludes in Valencia , the Roman is 19th in the general classification, with only 31 points in his locker. His best result to date is the seventh place he won in Indonesia , in the second stop on the calendar, that test that the rain and the terrible conditions of the asphalt denatured.

In Buriram , last Sunday, Morbidelli crossed the finish line in 12th place, 19 seconds behind the winner (Miguel Oliveira) and 15 seconds ahead of Quartararo (17th), in what, so far, was the only time the # 21 has surpassed his partner.

“Fabio’s situation is difficult because he is on the wrong foot in this fight,” Morbidelli told Motorsport.com . “Both because of the things we already know, such as the Yamaha’s lack of speed on the straight, but also because there are eight Ducatis fighting and helping Pecco,” added the Valentino Rossi Academy boy. “Furthermore, the fact that Fabio didn’t score in the rain here [Thailand] is a difficult thing to accept,” Morbidelli stressed.

Franco Morbidelli, Yamaha Factory Racing