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A little more than a dozen days after the podium conquered at Termas de Rio Hondo, which ended a fast of more than 1,400 days, Franco Morbidelli is ready to put his helmet and race suit back on and face the Circuit of the Americas. With the newfound knowledge that he has the potential to be in the fight for top positions again.
"How does it feel? It feels great. The team and I did a fantastic job in Argentina, improving the bike over the course of the weekend," the VR46 team rider recalled at the press conference. "I was a little behind on Friday but, as I said, we managed to work in the best way to be able to get close to the front and have a great race. We were aggressive, especially at the beginning of the race, and I had a lot of confidence on the bike. It would be nice to continue like that here. As we know, Marc Marquez in particular, but also Alex, are in great shape. It will be very difficult to catch them again, but we'll see."
Always thinking back to the podium finish he took in the Argentine GP, the Italian-Brazilian rider talked about his feelings and how that third place can change his season's goals.
"Looking back and reviewing it, it was simply a beautiful race. I started from the back like in Thailand, but getting onto the podium. It was a great performance and it gave me gusto. I really enjoyed thinking back to how I was before the race, when I wasn't very good and I was starting behind, and then thinking back to how I was at the end of the race. It was nice," he said, "The goals don't change. In the sense that we try to do the best we can do each weekend and then we'll see where we get to at the end of the year. This has been our way of operating from the first day we worked together, and from that day to today we have already improved so much, working in this way. I don't see why we have to change and set clear goals or clear positions for ourselves to achieve at the end of the year. Both because, given how we started and how it is going, it is working. And also because it's such a difficult, high-level category, in which so many unknowns and surprises can come, that in my opinion it doesn't pay to think this way."
Although he got off to a better start than in 2020, his best season in MotoGP so far, Franco does not feel like saying he considers himself stronger than then.
"Definitely I started better, because my first races in 2020 were not so brilliant. Do I feel stronger? In 2020 I felt very strong and had a lot of confidence in my speed. Right now there are Alex and Marc who are a little bit faster than us. Pecco will definitely come and there is also Di Giannantonio, plus there will be surprises in every race and every event. So in terms of speed not so much. But in terms of results yes, I got off to a better start," he acknowledged, also stressing the importance of having a year of experience on the GP24 already behind him: "I'm usually quite slow to understand - I'm a bit of a diesel. Even though I'm trying to speed up in that aspect, an extra year on the same bike definitely helps."
Asked about the fact that Martin will be in Austin with the Aprilia team, despite not being able to get back on the RS-GP yet, Morbidelli could only express a favorable opinion: "I did the same thing last year in the Qatar tests. I went there even though I couldn't ride to see the team again and be involved. Being away from racing for too long can be counterproductive - he explained - It's nice to spend time with your team and it's even more important if it's new. Spending time in the pit will be useful for him, even if he can't ride."
Morbido did not back down even when asked about his views on Francesco Bagnaia's start to the season.
"It wasn't the start he maybe wanted, he expected to do more, but the two Marquez riders started in an incredible state of form and that maybe made him a little bit nervous. I don't know, but I saw him quite angry after the first two races. Maybe it's because he can't find the feeling he wants, but when he finds it he will definitely be up there in front. As he is more or less already now, since he is not too far away," he noted.
Finally, the Italian-Brazilian rider spoke about his visit to the Goiânia circuit that will host the Brazilian GP from 2026.
"It was great to go to Brazil after a great weekend and see the Brazilian fans again. The track looks good and has great potential. So, I'm looking forward to going there when everything is perfect. It will be great to race there," he said, " Brazilians are very passionate people in general and I think they have a great connection and passion for motorsport. I love their style because it's kind of like my own. I'm looking forward to putting on a good show for them next year."
