As far as we've seen, Franco Morbidelli's winter has been fruitful. The Roman from Tavullia, in fact, demonstrated confidence and security on the eve of the Sepang test, with the intent to continue on the path he's already taken.
A few hours before the start of the last winter test, the Pertamina rider drew a clear and well-balanced analysis.
"These tests will be very important, because they're going to prepare us for the first race," he began.
"We'll have to work hard, with the intention of continuing what we did in Sepang. We'll then try to make all the necessary adjustments before the next few weeks.
We don't have a lot of time to try things out because time is pressing, but we're doing important things with a new group of people."
Franco, looking back, how do you see yourself a year later?
"The challenge I faced last year was tough. I had to learn everything quickly, considering the situation I was coming from.
That said, we have to keep working, because Ducati was very strong in Sepang, and that's confirmed with the number of Desmosedicis in the top five."
Do you still remember your beginnings on the Rossa?
"I felt good from the very first time on the bike, despite coming from a bad injury. At first, I was even impressed, because I was even tenth in the FP2 in Qatar.
The fact is that I had to wait until the Mugello GP to find my competitiveness. That was the first time I felt really competitive."
Last year, Martin was also in the garage.
"Jorge is facing a great challenge, and he's doing it as a champion. But I have to think about myself. Focusing as much as possible on what we have is going to be important, which is what we've done since Sepang.
Building the performance demonstrated during the tests was something great. Not only that.
If the race had been a week ago, we probably would've been with the best. That said, things can change quickly."
What do you think of what Marquez did in Sepang?
"The Sprint simulation was impressive. He was really fast. I think the sprint was the best hogh-performance thing he did in the tests."
