Valentino Rossi: Quartararo-Morbidelli Falls Because Of Yamaha’s Slow Reaction

Valentino Rossi, the legendary figure in the world of MotoGP, has cast a spotlight on the recent struggles faced by Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli, attributing their decline to the sluggish response of Yamaha in addressing challenges. Despite their undeniable skills and talents, the two riders have faced hardships in the past few seasons, prompting Rossi to emphasize that their current predicament is not solely of their own making.

The Duo

The duo of Quartararo and Morbidelli joined Yamaha in 2019 under the Petronas SRT team. Despite representing the satellite team, they quickly emerged as crucial figures in Yamaha’s performance, often outshining even established names like Rossi and Maverick Vinales from the Monster Energy Yamaha team. However, as of late, Morbidelli and Quartararo’s competitiveness has waned, with their struggles becoming more apparent even in securing a place in the top ten.

Rossi’s Views:

In an interview with Sky Sports, Rossi shared his view that the root cause of Quartararo and Morbidelli’s challenges lies in Yamaha’s delayed response to technical issues plaguing the YZR-M1. Rossi, who had voiced similar concerns during his time racing with Yamaha, sees the riders as unfortunate victims of the manufacturer’s inability to promptly address and rectify the bike’s performance issues.

“In my opinion, both of them are currently paying for Yamaha’s late technical support, also because Fabio performed well for 1.5 years when their bike was already experiencing technical difficulties. Things like that don’t always happen; after a while, you will need help,” Rossi explained.

Emphasizing On Psychological Aspect

Furthermore, Rossi pointed out the psychological toll that the challenging circumstances have taken on Quartararo and Morbidelli. Putting in maximum effort without seeing commensurate results can be disheartening and take a toll on their mental resilience.

“Psychologically, you also have to be 5% more insistent. You always have to put in more. However, on the other hand, you see that the situation is not better. More won’t drop by 5%, but 15% can also disappear, and you don’t know where it ends,” Rossi concluded.

As the MotoGP community dissects the struggles of Morbidelli and Quartararo, Rossi’s insights provide a unique perspective that sheds light on the intricate relationship between riders and manufacturers in the world of motorcycle racing. With Morbidelli’s imminent departure from Monster Energy Yamaha and Quartararo’s ultimatum regarding his future with the factory team, these revelations add an extra layer of complexity to the ongoing discussions. The performance dynamics in the MotoGP landscape continue to evolve, with Rossi’s experienced insights underscoring the importance of timely responses and consistent support from manufacturers.