Franco Morbidelli completed his first day as a Pertamina Enduro VR46 rider during the MotoGP test in Barcelona. This session allowed him to begin working with the team, which he largely knows well from his many years with the VR46 Riders Academy.
The Italian, who will also retain the bike he used this year with Pramac, said this test was primarily about adaptation: ‘It was important just get to know each other, get to know the people I’m working with and I’m going to work with next year: Matteo [Flamigni], Dani. It was good, it was a great first day. We did some changes on the bike just to understand the comments and understand what was happening if we were doing something’.
In Morbidelli’s view, the better the team gels during testing, the better the performance will be: ‘So, it’s a connection between me and the crew, and that’s going to make the difference next year: the better we get to know each other in testing, the better we are going to act in race weekends and race days’.
Despite already knowing several VR46 team members and the bike, the #21 rider doesn’t expect the process to be easier. However, he believes there is something valuable to capitalize on: ‘The testing time will not be easier, but I think we have a special thing in our hands: the knowledge that we have with each other, and the admiration that I have for Matteo and everyone inside the team – I know all the guys since I’m a little kid – it’s a magical thing. And we need to use it in the best way. We need to use it to bond and to connect in the best and quickest way as possible in order to achieve what we want to achieve’.
