“They say that when you struggle you learn the most.” The word struggle is one that can be associated with Franco Morbidelli’s 2022 campaign with Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ but with the new season now creeping ever closer on the horizon, the Italian is ready to bounce back and build on the progress he made both at the tail end of last season and through the winter.
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Yamaha have become the first factory to take the covers off their new-look YZR-M1s this week in what is an unchanged line-up, with Morbidelli partnering 2021 World Champion Fabio Quartararo again as the duo act as Yamaha’s lone warriors this season. Morbidelli is a fan of the updated paint scheme on his factory Yamaha, saying “it’s more aggressive and the style is a bit more modern”, but what will matter most to the 2020 World Championship runner-up is how he and the machine gel.
The winter break has been an important one for the number 21 star. 42 points and a best of P7 meant last year was a tough pill to swallow for Morbidelli, so a winter reset, spending quality time at home and getting back into training with a refreshed mind have been on the agenda.
“[Winter] was pretty good. I replenished my energy. I had some rest, and then I started moving pretty early in the winter. I did some on track motorbikes, karting, and some motocross too. I remained active on the bike and trained. I didn’t go on holiday anywhere far. I wanted to spend some time at home and really appreciate and enjoy it before the whole rollercoaster starts again at the end of January,” said Morbidelli in a Yamaha Q&A.
“It’s important to rest, and it’s important to detach a bit from all the technical thinking and the thinking about motorcycles. We reset and restart, and with a refreshed mind and refreshed energies I’m ready to attack, consolidate what I saw at the last part of the 2022 season, and make another step. There’s a lot I’m looking forward to at the start of this new season.”
As well as describing how much was learnt from last season’s struggles, Morbidelli outlined some early goals for 2023.
“For 2023, as I said, it will be important to start the season with the same speed I had at the end of 2022 and, from that base, step it up and be even faster. We will try to be closer to the leaders and, if possible, fight for top positions. If that’s not the case straight away, we will still work our hardest to get to the top as fast as possible.
“The strategy is to give everything: in every practice and on every lap. Try to understand well how to extract potential from the new bike and the new features to be fast on every lap and in every session.”
We’ll see Morbidelli back on track at the Official Sepang Test on the 10th, 11th and 12th of February, as we eagerly await to see what Yamaha bring to the table in 2023.