Morbidelli was Yamaha’s best driver in 2020, winning three races and finishing second in the world championship, despite essentially driving the 2019 M1.
Despite his best efforts, Morbidelli did not get factory machinery for 2021 and will remain on the A-Spec bike.
Morbidelli initially feared that this would put him at a disadvantage compared to his factory rivals, even though the A spec M1 is already a strong package, and received new updates at the first test in Qatar last weekend to try out his bike.
The updates came as a surprise to Morbidelli and he thinks his package has taken a step forward compared to last year.
“My feeling after this first test is very good,” said Morbidelli on Sunday after finishing fourth overall.
“I have to thank Yamaha for bringing updates to my bike and that was really nice to see, it was a big surprise for me.
“I have improvements to my package and this world is a world that has to move forward, at least to stay where you are.
“I think we have already improved the package compared to last year and we were able to stay in similar positions and at a similar level as last year, at least in this test, and that is positive.”
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On Sunday, Maverick Vinales admitted that he had shunned Yamaha’s 2021 chassis to simply work on his own riding style for the 2020 motorcycle to see if he could fix the M1’s weaknesses himself.
Morbidelli’s ability to get the most out of his bike over the past year has been highlighted time and again as a key to his success.
The Italian says this is always an on-going process as a driver but admits that he “slowed down” in this regard during the Qatar test.
“Well, on this test, of course, you are always trying to find a way to make yourself feel better about riding, and maybe find where you have some leeway, or maybe find an area where you feel better to be able to use the lap time a little more, “he said.
“This is one thing that I think a rider does consistently, trying to pick up the bike a little better and leaning a little earlier.
“These are things that I do at least every time I ride my bike.
“I always try to understand what the terms are and how the package works, and I always try to understand how to take advantage of the package that I have.
“Last year I found a pretty good way to adapt the riding style to the bike I ride.
“I didn’t stop, but I slowed down as I tried to change the approach to the corners.”