KUALA LUMPUR – Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team rider Franco Morbidelli’s maiden Moto Grand Prix (MotoGP) victory at the San Marino GP at the Misano World Circuit in Italy yesterday was a well-deserved success, according to team principal Datuk Razlan Razlan.
He said the 25-year-old Rome native displayed a better performance by bouncing back from his past disappointments after getting involved in an accident at the Austrian GP last month.
“It was a fantastic win for Franco, very well deserved, especially considering his crash in the first Austrian race. Doing it at his home Grand Prix as well is amazing,” he was quoted as saying in the team website;www.sepangracingteam.com.
Razlan also praised Franco’s teammate Fabio Quartararo, who displayed a gutsy performance despite failing to complete the race after crashing out while trying to catch the front-runners.
“He is still second in the championship standings, so it’s not too bad and I’m sure he’ll come back stronger next week,” he added.
Morbidelli, who started the race in the middle of front row, took the lead from the beginning before crossing the finishing line in the 27-lap race with a time of 42 minutes 02.272 seconds.
Fellow Italian Francesco Bagnaia of Pramac Racing Team and Spaniard Joan Mir of Team Suzuki Ecstar came in second and third, being adrift by 2.217 secs and 2.290 secs respectively.
Morbidelli’s victory saw him rising to seventh place in the MotoGP World Championship standings with 57 points, while Quartararo remained in second place with 70 points after six races.
The Misano World Circuit will host the Emilia Romagna GP this weekend.
— BERNAMA
