MotoGP, Morbidelli: "I didn’t think much about Marquez, but it would have been interesting to see him in action”

He is the current MotoGP runner-up, so expectations surrounding him are high. We are talking about Franco Morbidelli, who will be sharing the garage this year with Valentino Rossi at Yamaha.

On the eve of the opening round in Qatar, the Petronas rider is champing at the bit for the new challenge…

“Right, we’re here now - Franco said - after the last tests it's time to get back on track and I feel ready. I don't know what to expect from this 2021 season, I am obviously referring to the continuing pandemic, although I hope the situation is more normal than last year. For sure there is enthusiasm and a great desire to race and to restart from the whole paddock, after the long winter break ".

As mentioned, there is no lack of expectation surrounding the Roman from Tavullia…

"The pressure is there, but it's a nice pressure. Personally, it was more difficult last year when I was with my back to the wall. Coming out of a year like 2019 was much more complicated, but now there is a proactive pressure, obviously linked to the results and expectations after what we were able to demonstrate in 2020 ".

The competition will certainly be fierce, starting with Miller and the Ducati…

“I am hoping for the best, but I’m also prepared for the worst. If I don’t manage to win it won’t be a disaster. There are many of those guys because this is MotoGP and it’s full of young and experienced strong riders. We saw this in the winter tests. But I'm here to fight and try to beat my rivals on the track, and I know how strong they are"

In the battle for the world championship, Morbidelli is relying on the experience of a crew chief like Forcada…

“Ramon offers me an incredible and fundamental technical competence. Also, his involvement in the Petronas project implies an approach to more mature people, which I like a lot, since Forcada is a really smart guy. So I am very happy to have him by my side ”.

Speaking of experience and maturity, Frankie commented about Marc Marquez's decision not to race...

“I think it was a smart decision on his part. To tell the truth, I didn't spend a lot of energy thinking about whether or not Marc would be here in Qatar. However, it would have been interesting to see him in action, to see his level on the track. We’ll be still waiting for him at the next races and the doctors will decide this together with him obviously. "