Motorcycling-Morbidelli to leave Yamaha at end of MotoGP season
02/08/2023 10:17
LONDON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Italian rider Franco
Morbidelli will leave Yamaha at the end of the season, the
Japanese manufacturer's factory MotoGP team said on Wednesday.
The announcement officially opens a vacancy alongside French
rider Fabio Quartararo, with LCR Honda's Spaniard Alex Rins a
strong contender according to media reports.
Morbidelli, 28, was championship runner-up to Spaniard Joan
Mir in 2020 when he won three grands prix but he has not won a
race since then. He starts this weekend's British Grand Prix
11th in the standings, two places behind Quartararo.
Yamaha said the Italian was moving on to "new racing
challenges".
"It's a shame that the last two years didn't play out the
way we both wanted and hoped for," said Yamaha team boss Lin
Jarvis.
"We discussed the possibilities to continue our partnership,
but ultimately we decided that 2024 would be a moment to make a
change, both for Yamaha and for Franky."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
((alan.baldwin@thomsonreuters.com; +442075427933;))