MotoGP, Zeelenberg explains Morbidelli's crisis and Quartararo's braking secret

Franco Morbidelli is the big mystery of the 2022 World Championship. Runner-up with three victories to his name in 2020, after the knee operation the following year he was no longer himself. So while his teammate, Quartararo, is leading the world championship with 200 points, Franco is only 19th with 26.

Ex-racer Wilco Zeelenberg, his former Yamaha RNF team manager, tries to explain why.

“Fabio sometimes has more cornering speed but he doesn't overheat the tyres, he rides with a smaller lean angle. He avoids the problems that other riders have. His teammates ride in a more "old fashioned" style. They brake hard and enter corners with the brake on. Fabio brakes straight, releases the brake and then turns. He does it in every corner and manages to be faster by one or two km / h in every corner”.

In a recent interview with GPOne.com Morbidelli admitted his problems and tried to explain them, but the truth is difficult to understand.

"The worst moment of my career is not this: it was when I was 14 and I thought of quitting because there was no money left to continue racing - said Morbidelli - This is one of the most complicated moments because the goal is hard to reach and the tone that I have set myself is high. I am a rider who fought for the championship in 2020 and to keep those expectations and performances I have to push and work. Right now I am not doing what is expected of me, what others think I am capable of. Trying to adapt the bike to me, we improve in some areas but we get worse in others. So, right before the summer break, we told each other that I should be the one to change. But it's complicated because MotoGP is very difficult, everything is at its best and if you make a mistake, you find yourself behind. Changing your riding style is not something that happens suddenly”.

Style is something that depends on many things, one of them is the physical structure.

“We share all the data and see exactly what Franco is doing - continues Zeelenberg – Quartararo, thanks to his talent and his height, manages the bike better. He is very tall and always manages to maintain traction on the rear wheel. He does it better than others. It's a combination of factors. "