morbidelli

Morbidelli and Zarco lead Friday practice for the Catalunya MotoGP at Barcelona. FP1 leader Quartararo suffered a technical problem and wasn't able to leave the pits in time to join the others in a soft tyre lap at the end of FP2.

Franco Morbidelli's inspiring message on his special Misano MotoGP helmet design resulted in a phone call from none other than film director Spike Lee.

The upcoming Misano MotoGP double, which starts this weekend, could be crucial for Fabio Quartararo's title hopes. After starting the season with a perfect pair of victories at Jerez, the Petronas Yamaha rider's results have gone on a downward slide to seventh, eighth and 13th.

After the huge accident with Johann Zarco one week earlier, Franco Morbidelli admitted to being a bit cautious through the same flat-out Turn 2 kink during Sunday's Styrian MotoGP.

Valentino Rossi, Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli switched over to an evolution Brembo front braking system, after overheating problems at the opening Red Bull Ring MotoGP round.

Johann Zarco will make his return to MotoGP action on Saturday morning, already knowing he will have a pit lane start for the Styrian MotoGP race.

After the terrifying 300km/h accident with Johann Zarco last Sunday, Franco Morbidelli returned to the same Red Bull Ring circuit for Friday practice at the Styrian MotoGP.

Having summoned Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli to a hearing on Thursday, and reviewed all available video evidence, the FIM MotoGP Stewards have penalised the Avintia rider.

UPDATE: The FIM Stewards decision regarding last Sunday's accident involving Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco will be published tomorrow (Friday).

UPDATE: The FIM Stewards decision regarding last Sunday's accident involving Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco will be published tomorrow (Friday). To say it's been a difficult week for Johann Zarco would be an understatement.

After taking a closer look at the video footage of the Johann Zarco-Franco Morbidelli incident in last Sunday's Austrian MotoGP race, Cal Crutchlow said he has now revised his opinion.

MotoGP's immediate reaction to Sunday's shocking accident between Franco Morbidelli and Johann Zarco has been to extend the tyre barrier and airfence on entry to Turn 3 (pictured) for this weekend's second Red Bull Ring event.

Sunday's live Austrian MotoGP TV broadcast showed in shocking detail just how close Maverick Vinales and especially Valentino Rossi came to being hit by the cartwheeling bike of Franco Morbidelli.

Shortly after their huge Austrian MotoGP accident, Johann Zarco said that he and Franco Morbidelli "hugged each other" in the Medical Centre. "Then after I was sad because, during the interviews, bad things came out from the comments by Franco and Vale."

Update:

With two victories from two pole positions, Fabio Quartararo leads the MotoGP standings with a perfect 50 points heading into this weekend's Czech Republic Grand Prix.

Valentino Rossi and his Monster Yamaha crew 'pushed hard' to go their own way with bike set-up, before ending the Italian's 17-race podium drought at Andalucia last weekend. Rossi had been caught in a Catch-22 situation heading in to round two.

He may not have a trophy to show for it, but the season-opening Jerez MotoGP races have proven to Franco Morbidelli that he has 'stepped up his game' and is now a 'much faster' and 'more consistent' rider.

Celebrations for Yamaha's first MotoGP 1-2-3 finish since Australia 2014 at Jerez on Sunday were tinged with concern at having already 'lost' three engines.

Franco Morbidelli matched his best MotoGP result with fifth-place in Sunday's Spanish MotoGP, crossing the line less than one-second from Andrea Dovizioso and a place on the podium.

Morbidelli sets the pace during Free Practice 2 at the season-opening Spanish MotoGP, but the boiling temperatures mean reigning world champion Marquez's 1m 37.350s morning time remains the best of the day.

Franco Morbidelli is 'thankful' for the revised 2020 MotoGP calendar released last week, but admits it's a bittersweet feeling as an Italian.

Valentino Rossi has completed his first laps of a grand prix circuit since the end of the Qatar MotoGP test on February 24, after which escalating coronavirus restrictions saw the opening race weekend cancelled and a lockdown in Europe.

When the factory Yamaha team decided they couldn't wait for Valentino Rossi to decide his MotoGP future and would sign Fabio Quartararo instead, they pledged to give the Italian a satellite seat should he race on in 2021.