Mugello left a bitter taste in his mouth, since his race was conditioned after not even two laps from the start when he ended up in the gravel to avoid Marquez’s Honda. So Franco Morbidelli aims to turn the page and start over in Barcelona.
Fabio Quartararo won last year, so there are quite a few expectations at Yamaha, as well as from Franco.
“They took the pole here in Barcelona last year,” he recalled. “The fact that we’re racing during a different period this year than last year makes the situation different. So let’s see what’ll happen. Honestly, I’m neither happy nor sad, given that my goal is to immediately regain that confidence I lost at Mugello. In fact, I felt a lot of vibrations with the M1 last week and, consequently, I lacked the stability I needed. A year ago, I was competitive, and I’d like to be back at that level.”
Franco’s attention then shifts to the news of the day, namely Galbusera, Vinales’ crew chief.
“Today, a good crew chief must have three characteristics. Namely, be a good technician, a leader who’s capable of managing, and also a psychologist, or a person capable of getting you on the bike with the right spirit, since several riders need that. I don’t think it’s possible to write up a ranking, given that the skill of a crew chief is reflected in the performance of the rider and vice versa. It’s certainly not easy to find the right alchemy between the parties.”
With Forcada, Franco seems to be in an iron barrel.
"He's the most well-rounded in the paddock, and I've never questioned him. He's helped me many times to re-emerge when I wasn’t at the top. But I think this also happens with other riders in their garage.”
His last thoughts were instead about Dupasquier’s death.
“You carry the burden of what happened to Jason forever, even if the important thing is to learn to live with it. Every loss has many factors, like maybe the bond that there was with a rider, but, in the end, it always leaves a mark on you. I definitely haven’t changed my mind compared to Sunday, and I’ll race again.”