Franco Morbidelli opened up about the self-doubt battles he faced before ending his four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina.
The Italian rider’s 1,414-day wait for another appearance on the rostrum ended as he secured third place at the Termas de Rio Hondo.
In those four years, the VR46 Ducati rider overcame various injuries and jumped ship from Yamaha to Ducati to turn his career around.
The former Moto2 champion spent one year at Pramac before returning home with the VR46 outfit, having previously been a graduate of Valentino Rossi’s Academy, which gave him another opportunity to impress on the same bike.
“They have been four very complicated years,” Morbidelli admitted to GPOne.
“In some [races] we didn’t make it by a narrow margin, in others we were really far away. Now to taste we are back on top and it will be nice stay there.
“Already last year, with the new bike, it should have been the moment of my rebirth, but just when we all thought the nightmare, we sank even further down, because I got injured and there were so many problems.
“Then the 2024 season ended with very good feelings, this year we got off to a very good start, and the extra year of experience on the bike gives me more feeling.”
Morbidelli discusses more about his internal battles
The Roma-born rider opened up about his internal battles throughout the four years.
“I had moments when I felt like I was forgetting how good it could be to be here, I had time to think about whether I was still capable, I had time to wonder if I was doing enough.
“I had time to think about lots and lots of things, good and bad.
“Now I am not even able to clearly say how I feel, it will be the Prosecco,” he joked.
Soft tyre choice paid dividends in the Sunday race
Morbidelli’s podium brought his championship tally to 37 points in the championship, six behind third-place rival Francesco Bagnaia.
The Italian explained that a challenging Saturday prompted a change in tyre choice for the main race, selecting the soft tyre compound.
“Yesterday actually I didn’t feel good on the bike and it got worse. In any case, today [Sunday] I chose the soft tyre, I knew I would have to give everything I had at the beginning of the race to make up as many positions as possible and afterwards focus mainly on managing the situation.
“During the race I saw that I could control the pace pretty well. I could not have caught up with Alex and Marc [Marquez], I just watched them from behind and it was a good battle.
“I will try in the future to improve the start of the weekend and the time attack to start a little bit ahead, because starting so far behind is not recommended to finish in the top 3.
“Finally, we still need to sort out that something we are lacking to stay with the two brothers.”
