RiderTua.com – As the reigning champion who is plagued with problems, Yamaha must remain calm, ‘keep calm’.. Franco Morbidelli said Yamaha’s current problem is the lack of grip and top speed. It will be different from the race in Mandalika, and there are still 20 races to go. So that the problems that Yamaha is currently facing do not have to panic, before the European round (5th round in Portugal in April). There is still time to improve. If the European series is still not broken, the world title can be ‘wasalam’.. It’s not easy for Yamaha to start the 2022 MotoGP season. However, Franco Morbidelli was quite amused by the victory from his VR46 academy mates Celestino Vietti (Moto2) and Andrea Migno (Moto3 ) at the Qatar Grand Prix. Starting from the 12th grid, Franky had difficulties in the early stages at the Losail circuit.
In the end the 2020 runner-up finished 11th with 5 points. “I was hoping to do a little bit better and be able to do more in the race, but I started really badly. I lost a lot of positions in the first two laps, I also braked wrong once. I really wasn’t right in the first phase of the race. This is bad. But once I found my rhythm, I was strong. Quite strong in relation to our potential. If we look at the time of Fabio (Quartararo) who is world champion, I am quite strong. It’s a shame about the start,” said the factory Yamaha rider after the first race of the season.
Franco Morbidelli: Yamaha doesn’t need to panic before the European Series
By finishing in 9th place for Quartararo and 11th for Morbidelli, Yamaha is ranked 6th or last in the Constructors’ Championship. About the situation of the Japanese manufacturer, Morbido said, “We lacked grip and top speed. These are the two problems we face. We also know Qatar is a special track and race. Now we have to see how things are in Mandalika and we will definitely try to understand it better and fight it, especially with the grip problem.”
Valentino Rossi’s student racer added, “This is a special race. But it’s a setback, after Yamaha won two races here last year. The other manufacturers are very aggressive and have done an excellent job in terms of speed and tire management. But we have to keep going and we have to wait and see what happens in Mandalika. We have to give ourselves time, at least two or three races. At least I’ll wait until the early races in Europe before we have to panic.”
At the start of the new World Championship season in Qatar, thanks to Enea Bastianini, Celestino Vietti and Andrea Migno, there were three wins for the Italian rider and two for the VR46 Riders Academy.
Smiling, Morbidelli said, “I know all three well, especially the winners from Moto3 and Moto2. We will celebrate with them at home. But I’m happy for ‘Bestia’. We’ve known each other since we were kids. He’s a good guy and a very good racer.”
