Franco Morbidelli admitted he was already “questioning myself” over whether to stay at Yamaha’s MotoGP outfit after this season before the manufacturer made his decision “easier” by axing him.
Following tough 2021 and ’22 campaigns – the former blighted by a nasty knee injury that forced him out for several races – the Italian was firmly under pressure coming into ’23, Morbidelli thus far having an up-and-down year with strong performances – such as a pair of fourth placings in Argentina – peppered with weekends where he once again trailed far behind team-mate Fabio Quartararo.
With Morbidelli also left feeling uneasy about his potential future within the marque as it struggled to make progress with its M1, the brand promptly signed current LCR Honda ace Alex Rins during the summer break to join Quartararo next year – leaving Morbidelli out in the cold.
The 2020 premier class vice-champion explained that the sub-par ’23-specification M1 twinned with the fact he knew Yamaha was already talking with other riders to replace him “reduced the magic”, which lead to him “questioning myself” whether he even wanted to remain at Yamaha prior to it electing to sign Rins instead.
“It’s been quite a journey with Yamaha, we’ve been together basically my whole career and I’ve had some great results, especially in the early part,” said Morbidelli ahead of the British Grand Prix.
“The last two seasons have not been great I have to say, but I’ve met a lot of nice people and I’ve got a great relationship with a lot of people inside the team and for sure I’ll stay close to them personally even if technically we’ll be apart.
“Of course it’s no secret that we’re not performing well and the package is not on par to achieve great results at the moment.
“So it’s no secret that because of that – and also because the factory was speaking with other riders – reduced the magic for sure, as I said before do I want to stay with Yamaha?
“I was questioning myself for sure, but I have to say the team made it easier for me by not renewing me and going with Alex Rins, who is a great rider, so this help with changing (my situation) is happening right now.”
Morbidelli conceded that he is currently in an “uncomfortable position” with very few premier class rides left on the table for ’24, but insisted that remaining within the MotoGP was his chief aim with the help of his management team VR46.
“I’m in a bit of an uncomfortable position because I have no seat for next year at the moment, but that can be an extra motivation for the second half of the season,” added Morbidelli.
“Yeah, that’s my aim (staying in MotoGP for 2024), I feel strong and am experienced, I’m 28 so relatively young and I’ve had some great emotions in this category with the chance to fight for the championship without even realising it as it was a training season.”
“I’d like to experience that again and am working to find it once again, and I’m sure that VR46, the team and my management is going to help me to redeem myself and go back to fighting for interesting spots.”
Keyword: Morbidelli was “questioning myself” over Yamaha stay before axing