Franco Morbidelli, back in action after missing the entire pre-season, showcased his prowess during his first MotoGP test since November last year.
The new Pramac Ducati rider, having secured his first points of the year with a commendable fourth place in the Spanish MotoGP Sprint, utilized Monday’s official test at Jerez to its fullest extent, completing 82 laps.
Morbidelli’s exceptional performance saw him clinch the third-fastest time, just 0.122 seconds behind Fabio di Giannantonio (VR46 Ducati). He dedicated the day to fine-tuning his Desmosedici’s setup, expressing satisfaction with the progress made.
Reflecting on the test, Morbidelli commented, “It has been a great day. I am very happy to have had one full day to spend with my team. We did a great job; I could pay attention and time to several aspects of the bike, figuring out the best setting for me.
I was waiting for this day, and I am really satisfied because of the work we have done. About the speed I had and the increasing feeling I had with the bike.”
Meanwhile, Morbidelli’s teammate Jorge Martin faced hurdles throughout the test session. Encountering an engine failure in the morning, Martin was left with only one bike. Despite this setback, he managed to complete 71 laps.
However, Martin’s challenges persisted as he suffered a fall at Turn 9 during the afternoon session. Fortunately, he escaped unscathed from the incident but acknowledged the impact of the wind on his trajectory.
Martin reflected on the day, stating, “We improved our base setup. We could have tried many things, and I am thankful for that. I made a mistake at the end of the day when I was trying one of the [new items]; the wind affected my trajectory and so I crashed.
In the end, my performance has been good today and I am satisfied with the job I have done, and I know we have solutions which allowed us to be fast and consistent.”
Leave a Reply