Morbidelli and Quartararo Set Sights on the Season Finale in Portugal

17-11-2020

Morbidelli and Quartararo Set Sights on the Season Finale in Portugal

Final round of 2020 MotoGP season for PETRONAS Yamaha SRT this weekend with the fight for the runner-up and best Independent rider still open.

PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s Franco Morbidelli and Fabio Quartararo head to Portimão eager to end the season with a good result, battle for runner-up honours in the MotoGP championship and fight for 2020 Independent Rider honours. The Grande Prémio de Portugal, which returns to the MotoGP calendar at the new venue of Algarve International Circuit, will be the final round of this season.

Fresh from winning his third MotoGP race of the year in Valencia, Morbidelli is now second in the World Championship Standings, with 142 points, and has moved into the top spot in the Independent Rider standings, with a lead of 17 points over team-mate Quartararo. The Italian will be hoping that his good form continues in Portugal this weekend. Although the Portimão circuit is a new addition to the MotoGP calendar, it is a circuit that Franco enjoys and is one that he hopes will bring him success.

Team-mate Quartararo will be hoping for better fortunes at the Portuguese circuit, as he aims to overturn the 17-point deficit to his teammate. After two difficult races at Valencia, the Frenchman is hoping that a new circuit will help him recover his good form and end the season on the podium. Like Morbidelli, Fabio is also looking forward to tackling Algarve International Circuit, commonly described as a rollercoaster on tarmac. Quartararo goes into the final round of the year fifth in the MotoGP World standing, with 125 points.

Track action for Franco and Fabio will begin with Free Practice 1 at 10.10am local time (6.10pm MYT) on Friday, with the final MotoGP race of 2020 getting underway at 2pm local time (10pm MYT) on Sunday.

Franco Morbidelli

"I am really looking forward to the race in Portugal this weekend, where I rode an R1 in a test before the French GP. It’s a really nice place, close to the sea, and the track is very different to most of the ones we visit normally. It’s a bit like a rollercoaster on tarmac as there are many steep hills. It's a tricky circuit to ride, so it’s a really nice challenge to end the season with. It’s great to be heading into this last race having won in Valencia, I hope we can have a good battle like we did last time out. Hopefully we can have a really good final race of 2020, it would be a nice way to reward the team for their hard work."

Fabio Quartararo

"It has been a long time since I have ridden at Portimão! I remember that the track is like a rollercoaster, with an uphill section followed by a big downhill bit, so I am really looking forward to being there again. It’s a shame we couldn’t bring the championship fight to this final round, but I want to have fun in this last race of the year. To do so, the first aim of the weekend will be to find the good feeling and speed that we lost since Le Mans. I really hope that we can end the season and these two years with the team in a good way with a great result."