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Ducati continues to make itself heard at the Sepang International Circuit. But there’s something new in the air among the competition in the garages, especially Yamaha’s. The Iwata constructor didn’t just sit back and watch. During these first official 2023 tests, Besides Fabio Quartararo, Franco Morbidelli was also able to test the work carried out in the factory.
The sensations are more than good, and the Roman from Tavullia says he’s satisfied to have seen his demands met, all those related to the M1’s power and speed. The first answers in this sense are positive, but less so for the flying lap: Morbidelli was 20th at the end of day 3, just over a second from the top.
“It’s been a really intense three days, positive overall. We tested many things. The engine is more powerful, and I'm happy with that. The only thing that was off today is the time attack,” Morbidelli pointed out. “Unfortunately, I was only able to do one time attack, because it then started raining, but I don't think I could’ve done much better.”
Morbidelli analyzes the situation in detail.
“Simply, the bike in the time attack configuration doesn’t work with the new tires. It was impossible for us to get under the wall of fifty-nine. The stopwatch doesn’t reflect our real potential. It’s frustrating. We’re faster in the race. Is it the engine's fault? Aerodynamics? We need to figure it out.”
While on the rideability front.
“I have to rider more aggressively. and I‘m trying to adapt my approach. The bike’s DNA has changed compared to the recent past. If you want to become world champions you have to adapt to the characteristics of the vehicle you have. I might be optimistic, but I think we can be competitive in both high-speed and low-speed corners.”
Did you get a chance to confront Quartararo?
“I had so many things to test that I probably saw Fabio for about twenty seconds. It was three days of apnea. Just think that I set the alarm early the first day. I showed up at the racetrack at nine and got on the track at ten. We tried to avoid the rain by anticipating the work schedule, but it wasn’t enough because it still rained. In the afternoon, we wanted to take advantage of every minute available in wet conditions. Then, between briefings and various analyses, I returned to the hotel at eleven. I took a shower and watched Sanremo a bit,” he laughed. “At half past midnight, I went to bed and, the next morning, I was back on track at eight. That’s just so you understand how busy we’ve been.”
