Valencia MotoGP: ‘Extra emotion’ as Franco Morbidelli heads for final Yamaha weekend

The Italian, who spent his rookie season on a Marc VDS Honda bef൲ore joining Yamaha via the Petronas project in 2019, is being replaced by Alex Rins for 2024.
Without even a podium since 2021, Morbidelli has admitted it 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:“fills me with excitement” to see his future Pramac Ducati team fighting for the world title with Jorge Martin and top of the teams꧒’ championship.
But first, he aims to make some “nice memories” in his ꦇlast event for Monster Yamaha.
“This will be my last GP with the Monster Energy Yamaha M🤪otoGP Team, which adds some extra emotion to this weekend,” said Morbidelli.
“I want to end our run together in the best way possible and make some final nice memories with the crew, so♒ that is the goa🧸l.”
Title runner-up in 2020, Morbidelli has a best race result🧸 of fourth in factory Yamaha colours and is 13th in the world championship.
Team-mate Fabio Quartararo 🍌is ninth in the standings, one place 𝓰behind his previous lowest MotoGP result of eighth in 2020.
With a 25-point deficit to Aprilia’sꦿ Maverick Vinales, that is where Quartararo is lik🌃ely to remain.
But the Frenchman is hoping the new asphalt will suit the M1 and that he can challenge for what would be a 🐬fourth podium of a difficult year.
“My race pace in Qatar♋ was really good. I hope that it will be like that in Valencia too. Last year didn‘t go too bad there. I think this year we might be able to do well again,” said Quartararo, fourth at Valencia during his doomed title showdown with Francꦡesco Bagnaia.
“👍We have to keep a positive mindset and keep the good results going until the end of the season. I think the new surface in Valencia will b🐽e good. I heard there‘s a lot of grip now, so hopefully we can make a great Sprint and Race.”
Unless Quartararo or Morbidelli can take a shock victory on 👍Sunday, Yamaha will suffer its first winless MotoGP campaign sincඣe 2003.
While Morbidelli will make his debut on the title-winning Desmosedici during the Tuesday test, Quartararo will try the latest v♊ersion of the 2024 M1 prototype, the engine for which left him disappointed at September’s Misano test.

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marqไuez’s injury issues.