Franco Morbidelli embarks on his first MotoGP season with the Pertamina Enduro VR46 team with high ambitions. The rider comes from Prima Pramac and is already familiar with the bike he will have – the Ducati Desmosedici GP24.
The Italian made it clear to the press that his focus is not on secondary results, responding when asked about the reduction of eight to six Ducatis on the grid: ‘I really don’t know, but I’m sure that Ducati will be up there. It’s not going to make a lot of difference to me if the Ducatis are six or eight because I’m not looking for sixh, seventh, eighth. I’m looking for third, second, first. So the number, from eight to six, is not going to affect me’.
What Morbidelli does believe could make a difference are the possible improvements from others: ‘For sure other manufacturers are going to step their game up. They’re going to improve. Our opponents are going to be better than last year and let’s see how the balances are going to go’.
That said, the #21 emphasized that the focus remains within the team: ‘We are focused on bringing the team as high as we can, with the packages we have. These are two packages, mine and of course Fabio’s [di Giannantonio, GP25] deserve to be on the top spots. So we will try to do that’.