Franco Morbidelli still has “faith in Yamaha, would gladly stay”

Of course, the caveat to that is whether Yamaha will want to keep Morbidelli or look for other alternatives for the 2024 MotoGP season.

One name who was thought to be at the top of the list when it came to possibly replacing Morbidelli is Jorge Martin, but speaking ahead of last weekend’s French MotoGP, the Pramac rider admitted he’s likely to remain with Ducati.

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That leaves Toprak Razgatlioglu as one of the main players who could replace Morbidelli, but with the WorldSBK star struggling during a recent MotoGP test, and Lin Jarvis pointing to Morbidelli as their first option, a move across for Razgatlioglu also appears to be in the balance.

For Morbidelli, the only thing he can do is produce at a high level on track, although he did confirm that remaining with Yamaha is his priority prior to last weekend’s 1000th Grand Prix.

Speaking to GPOne.com, Morbidelli said: "Yes, I would gladly stay with Yamaha because I’ve had some great satisfaction with this Yamaha. 

"I get along very well with the people in the team and I also have unfinished business, because I haven’t been able to achieve what I would like to achieve with this team. I think we’re already talking about it."

If Morbidelli is to remain with Yamaha, the expectation for himself, but also teammate Fabio Quartararo is that a new and improved M1 will be available next season.

However, that was also expected to be the case this year, yet Ducati, Aprilia, KTM and even Honda in the hands of Marc Marquez seem to be a step above Yamaha.

It goes without saying that Morbidelli needs to improve, but so does Yamaha and the Italian has faith that they will.

Morbidelli added: "My faith in Yamaha doesn’t change because we are all aware of what we are missing and I am also aware of what we had. 

"This is what keeps me hopeful because there are still aspects of the old bike that were much better and they belong to us. 

"There are also things to look for in dark areas, but already, if we put all of our best together, the M1 could again be one of the best packages. 

"Unfortunately we are not succeeding now, but I remain confident because it is my nature and because I see that there is desire within the team. 

"As for Yamaha’s trust in me, you should ask them. My perception is that this year I’m quite strong compared to my teammate. Less last year, but this year I’m giving him a big battle and it’s not that obvious."