Petronas Yamaha rider Franco Morbidelli heads into round four of the 2021 MotoGP campaign in the type of form we’ve come to expec✤t, after securing his 🎃first top five finish of the year. 

Morbidelli finished fourth at Portimao narrowly missing out on a first podium of the season, following an intense final few laps with Francesco Bagnaia and Joan Mir who fin🌱ished second and third respectively. 

The top five result elevates Morbidelli into 11th place in the championship🎀 standings with Jerez up next.

While the Italian was in contention for a rostrum during both Jerez events last year, the Spanish circuit has not 🏅been kind to Morbidelli, as he’s yet to claim a pod﷽ium there in either MotoGP or Moto2.

That would have most likely changed during the Andalucian race however, as the 26 year-old was running in a comfortable secondꦿ before Yamaha’s well documented 2020 engine problems caused a DNF for 🌺the 2017 Moto2 champion.

Speaking ahead of this weekend, Morbidelli said: "The track at Jerez is really nice and I hav💜e been fast there. 

"Last year I was very close to finishing on the podium in both races we had at Jerez, so I hope we can actua꧙lly make it a podium this time. 

"Thi♛s year the competition is tougher and the level is higher, but I will be trying my hardest to stay as close as possible to the top-three and we’ll just have to wait and see if I can manage it. 

"We need to be ready to react to the circuit and the other riders, but w🦹e are ready to give our maximum and to be the bes💛t that we can."