Franco Morbidelli had to miss the MotoGP preseason tests due to the injury he suffered during training in Portimão at the end of January. Nevertheless, he was able to accompany the Prima Pramac Racing team during the Qatar tests last week.
The Italian told the press that, despite the injury, he ended up having an opportunity to work with the team: ‘I learned that riding the bike is much better than staying there and watch the other riders riding. Being injured, it was one of the best chances I had. Anyway I was injured but I had the chance to be on the track, to be with the team, speak with my crew and have that time that I missed on the track – but anyway I tried to recover from it already being there and talking with my crew, staying there and sharing energy with them already. I was injured, but… I don’t want to say it’s one of the best ways to be injured, but the situation came out pretty well being injured’.
Despite not being on the track, Morbidelli assured that he has already consulted the data of the other Ducati riders: ‘Yes, sure. I’ve been trying to… already in Valencia I was checking the data of the other riders, but also in Qatar, and I’ve been checking also some data from Sepang. It will be a key point to understand and to try to be as fast as possible. I’m planning on being very fast and I’m facing some adversities at the moment – I made an adversity by myself on this plan at the moment. But I’m doing everything it takes to come back and to come back as soon as possible. So I’m checking the data of the other Ducati riders – especially the ones who are riding very fast. But I have to say that all Ducati riders are riding very fast’.