PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team’s MotoGP riders soldiered on during a complicated FrenchGP today, the first flag-to-flag race since Brno in 2017. Valentino Rossi ended the race at Le Mans 11th and Franco Morbidelli was 16th, despite a first lap crash.
A good start from ninth on the grid saw Rossi gain two positions on the opening lap and a battle with his team-mate, before he was forced to take avoiding action at Turn 11, which dropped him to 13th. With heavy rain starting to fall, the Italian came into the pits to swap to his wet setup bike at the end of lap 5, rejoining the race in 12th. Valentino was able to lap at a good pace and had moved himself into tenth on lap 12, before gaining another position one lap later. As the conditions changed and the track started to dry, he was unable to maintain this pace and ultimately crossed the line 11th. Rossi now has a total of nine points and moves up to 19th in the championship.
The FrenchGP didn’t begin with the best of getaways for Morbidelli, who found himself eighth at the first corner, after starting the race from fourth on the grid. Franco then found himself swapping positions with his team-mate Rossi during the opening lap. Contact with another rider at Turn 11 pushed Morbidelli wide and into the gravel. With rain starting to fall and riders coming into the pits to change bikes, Franco took advantage of the situation to rejoin the race in the hope of being able to pick up some valuable points. Despite a valiant effort, he just missed out on being rewarded for his perseverance and took the chequered flag in 16th. Franco remains in eighth place in the World Championship with 33 points.
Morbidelli and Rossi can now look forward to their first home Grand Prix of the season, the ItalianGP, which will see the pair in action around Mugello at the end of this month (28-30 May).
