Morbidelli: ‘A-spec’ Yamaha not an advantage in 2021
Franco Morbidelli says he doesn’t believe keeping his current Yamaha MotoGP bike for 2021 will be an advantage despite the problems of the 2020 M1.

The Petronas SRT rider finished the 2020 season as top Yamaha rider in second in the standings with three wins, equal on victories with teammate Fabio Quartararo despite riding the older ‘A-spec’ M1 instead of the factory-spec 2020 bike.
Morbidelli was the most consistent Yamaha rider across the campaign, with the 2020 M1 riders only tallying up one further win courtesy of Maverick Vinales and three other podiums combined.
Despite this, Yamaha has once again elected against upgrading Morbidelli’s equipment having taken away the 2020 bike he was meant to ride this year before testing.
All three 2020 M1 riders were very critical of the bike, with Quartararo admitting last month he’d like to see if he could race the 2019 bike – which is essentially what Morbidelli is riding – next year.
Given the problems the factory riders have had this year, Morbidelli feels keeping his current package won’t offer him any greater benefit compared to his stablemates as it can’t be developed.
“No, because a new bike can develop,” he said when asked if keeping his ‘A-spec’ bike for 2021 would offer him better chances of top results compared to the current factory bike.
“You can work on it, you can develop it, you can make modifications, the factory is working on a direction of developing.
“My bike is that one, it’s that. I need to take out the maximum from it, from that package.
“Of course, there are some items that I can pick up from the factory and try to adapt to my bike
“But I always say that the latest bike is the best one because of this reason because you can and all the energies of the factory are on that package, are on that thing in order to make it grow and develop it.
“The newest and the latest bike is one with the most margin [to improve], my one is the one least margin.”
Read Also:
When asked if he was happy to remain on the ‘A-spec’ bike next year, he replied: “Yeah, I am.”
Morbidelli will remain with SRT for at least the next two seasons, with mentor Valentino Rossi joining him as a factory-supported rider in 2021.
Related video

Previous article
Rossi: Yamaha engineers listen to riders but do what they want
Next article
KTM retains Pedrosa as MotoGP test rider for 2021

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Drivers | Franco Morbidelli |
Teams | SIC Racing Team |
Author | Lewis Duncan |
Morbidelli: ‘A-spec’ Yamaha not an advantage in 2021
Trending
Marc Marquez sensational comeback
Motorsport.tv Live: Portuguese MotoGP
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
How Yamaha's rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021 after storming to victory at a venue five months earlier served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha's factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend did at least expose one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come...
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.