“A lot happened while I was sitting on the sofa,” jokes Franco Morbidelli about the turnaround that prompted him to return to Misano with the official Yamaha team colors. The divorce with Vinales was the trigger and it has to be said that the old adage “Every cloud has a silver lining” fits perfectly this time around. “As a fan, I followed everything that happened – he continues – It’s always interesting when there’s a little spice and in the end I’m on an official bike, even better. “
Morbido is now ready for a fresh start and a new adventure after being absent for 5 Grand Prix since his knee surgery.
“It’s nice to be back, I missed MotoGP, the people, the paddock, it seems like a long time ago – he admitted – I did everything to get back here in Misano, a track that I like very much and that I have fond memories of. I feel pretty good, my knee doesn’t hurt, but we’ll see what happens on the bike tomorrow.
Rehabilitation wasn’t easy …
“I focused on my recovery, I didn’t have a bad injury, but it took a long time, more than I thought” – he explains – We tried to speed up the recovery time, the most important thing was to be able to bend the knee properly and to keep an eye on general fitness. We’ll find out how we worked this weekend ”.
Meanwhile he discovers his new home …
“First of all I have to thank the Petronas team, together we did a fantastic job and achieved great results, they gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my potential – were his thoughts on his former team – Now a new chapter begins, there is so a lot of people I know and I’ll see Fabio again, that’s nice too. I’m just happy to be here and again to do what I am capable of, with these colors it’s even better. “
However, his crew chief Forcada, who will follow Dovizioso, will not be there with him.
“I will be working with Silvano Galbusera by the end of the year – Morbidelli confirmed – I enjoyed working with Ramon, but we decided not to make too many changes in the teams, there have already been enough. We all agreed, then we’ll see for the future “.
Morbidelli will finally have an official motorcycle, which in a way would have been expected after his runner-up world title last year.
“I feel like I deserve to be here – he said – I’ve spoken openly to everyone at Yamaha and now I’m on that team, they knew everything about me. “
The challenge with Quartararo is renewed …
“Fabio seems like the man to beat but I’ll think about it next year – says Morbido – Now I’m just thinking about regaining my shape and speed, then I’ll have more pressure to do well in the championship in 2022. “