Franco is Yamaha’s Kryptonite

The predicament of Franco Morbidelli is difficult to comprehend. By doing so poorly with Yamaha’s official squad, the Italian has shocked the majority of the globe, going from MotoGP runner-up in 2020 to failure in 2022.

Morbidelli scored twice in five races in 2021 with the official team, always finishing outside the top 10. But in 2022, a new year means a fresh start, right? Actually, no. He began his first full-time season with the factory team, but the results were still apathetic.

Fabio Quartararo is competitive, contends for podium finishes, and wins races; Franco does not. He is riding the identical bike in ideal circumstances, but the French champion only seems to be able to make the YZR-M1 perform well on a track.

The seventh position in the top ten in Indonesia was encouraging, but after that, everything went downhill, and the best he could muster this year was three 13th places. Behind considerably less seasoned riders like Luca Marini, Marco Bezzecchi, or Jorge Martin, for example, the motorcyclist is ranked 19th in the championship.

It probably doesn’t help that Quartararo is a teammate. If a rider’s teammate is also his fiercest opponent, then Morbidelli is likely experiencing the worst stretch of his career. He is unable to provide the squad with what the Frenchman has given, even with the same material.

He once again failed to score at Assen. There were rumours that both parties had come to an arrangement, allowing Yamaha to sign another rider and Morbidelli to go on—possibly even during the current season. Team Principal Lin Jarvis ruled out this prospect and reaffirmed the factory’s commitment to upholding its end of the bargain with the rider.

One thing is for sure: it’s still puzzling how a rider who moves to the official team and with the official bike as his wish after being a vice-world champion on an outdated bike and a satellite team has fallen so much in the standings.