Misano.- The Italian returns to competition after missing five Grand Prix, as a result of the operation on his left knee to which he underwent in June, after a fall while training aggravated an injury that dragged in the area .
In that window of time in which Morbidelli has been absent, countless things have happened, to the extent that his last race was held in the Sepang Racing Team (SRT) suit and with a two-year-old motorcycle. This weekend, in Misano, he will reappear as an official Yamaha rider and a factory prototype, exactly like that of Fabio Quartararo, his teammate again.
A true change of scene that is not easy to assimilate for anyone who does not have the reggae spirit that has always accompanied Frankie , who will reappear with the sole intention of recovering the speed that last year took him to the runner-up position.
“I am delighted to be able to return to the World Cup, to do what I have always done. These [new] colors make it even more special”, said Morbidelli , who acknowledged having been a bit too optimistic when calculating the time frame in which he would be able to recover.
“The injury was not very serious, but I needed time. When I got injured I was too optimistic. Then I saw that things were surely going to take longer”, added the rider, who, at least until the end of the season, will work with Silvano Galbusera as the head coach, after having decided that Ramón Forcada will remain at the SRT, with Andrea Dovizioso.
“I have enjoyed the time with Ramón, but we have decided that we did not want to change more things, because many have already been changed. Then we’ll see what happens in the future”, continued Morbidelli.
After a first year in the SRT (2019) in which Quartararo surpassed him despite having a motorcycle that on paper was not as competitive as his, 2020 was the course in which the Roman turned the situation and was vastly superior to the French, again with an M1 older than the Devil ‘s. Despite that, Yamaha did not want to reward him with a factory bike for this 2021.
With this last maneuver, which has allowed him to sign for the official team of the tuning fork brand until 2023 , Morbidelli feels at peace: “This year I felt that I deserved the official bike and here I am. It’s not that Yamaha owed me anything, I just think I deserved it.”
(Click on the link or on the image to see the photos of Franco Morbidelli’s 2021 season in MotoGP)
