MotoGP - Morbidelli: "I'm riding more animal"

The Italian found himself at the last minute with the news that his two fastest laps that qualified him directly for Q2 had been canceled and he was forced to earn his pass in the first timed screening.

Morbidelli easily saved the day and was able to enter the fight for pole position, where 57 thousandths separated him from Fabio Quartararo and qualified second for this Sunday’s grid.

“Two laps were canceled, I was going to the limit. They told us just before FP4, I had to go through Q1 and we didn’t have tires to do four time attacks , so there was a bit of a mess in the box,” explained the driver of the Petronas team.

“Q1 is a battlefield, the pass is sold very expensive. You have to go out with the commitment as if you were going to Q2 because you can stay there. The level is so high that you cannot afford to lose anything. We were able to save this drama,” he added.

The #21 tried to achieve pole to the limit, starring in a save at turn 13 with the bike leaning at 68º that reminded the ones that Marc Márquez has done so many times.

“I had a scare in Q2, between too much strain in that curve. It was very heavy . I expected it because I braked very hard. I knew something was going to happen, I was ready and in the end I was able to save this crash style Marc. This happens when you are very close to the limit,” he said.

The current runner-up in the world assures that he is trying another way to carry his M1 to get more out of the material he has.

“I like to have a very stable bike and a clean riding style. This weekend I have tried to be a bit more animal in my riding and it has paid off. We went after that with the set-up and the bike is more nervous, but It’s still fast. I was able to be quite consistent driving differently. I feel very satisfied with the day,” he said.

Morbidelli, who continues with the 2019 Yamaha, sent a message after being, once again, ahead of the official Maverick Viñales (seventh) and his teammate Valentino Rossi (17th).

“In sport there is this type of injustice, we have been tied to contracts for a long time. It is what I have and I am moving forward,” he settled.