Franco Morbidelli to leave Yamaha after 2023 MotoGP season, Alex Rins to join
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Published 02/08/2023 at 14:01 GMT+1
Yamaha's team will look different for the 2024 MotoGP season. It has been confirmed ahead of the British Grand Prix that Franco Morbidelli will be leaving the team and Alex Rins will be joining. Rins, who is currently with LCR Honda, will partner Fabio Quartararo at Yamaha for the 2024 season. Rins will not race the British GP as he is recovering from a broken leg.
Rins wins comfortably in Texas for sixth career MotoGP victory
Video credit: TNT Sports
Alex Rins will join Yamaha from the 2024 MotoGP season as Franco Morbidelli leaves the team.
Morbidelli moved to the factory Monster Energy Yamaha squad during the 2021 season but has yet to finish on the podium.
He is 11th in the overall standings ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix.
Rins is two places below but will replace Morbidelli at Yamaha in 2024 after one season with LCR Honda.
Rins, 27, won the Americas Grand Prix earlier this season but then suffered a broken leg at the Italian Grand Prix sprint race.
He will not compete at the British GP this weekend, which is live on TNT Sports.
“We are delighted that Alex is joining the Yamaha line-up,” said Yamaha Motor Racing managing director Lin Jarvis.
“We expect Alex to be a great asset. He has vast experience as a MotoGP rider and is known to be a natural talent and a multi-time MotoGP class race winner.
“He already has experience with two other MotoGP manufacturers and has ridden bikes with similar characteristics to the YZR-M1, which should help him adapt quickly to our bike. His win in COTA earlier this year underlines his speed, hunger, and determination to succeed.
“Alex has been away from the MotoGP paddock for a while due to the injury he sustained at Mugello, but we are confident that he should be fully recovered and up to speed for the 2024 season.
“We are really looking forward to working with him and believe that he will collaborate well with Fabio [Quartararo] and enhance the total performance of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team.”
Rins will join Fabio Quartararo at Yamaha for the 2024 season.
Morbidelli, meanwhile, has been linked with a move to Ducati.
“First and foremost, I want to thank Franky for his hard work and dedication ever since he started with the factory team and also long before that when he was a satellite rider for Yamaha,” said Jarvis.
“The Yamaha and Morbidelli partnership led to some great results, including an outstanding vice-champion title in 2020.
“It’s a shame that the last two years didn‘t play out the way we both wanted and hoped for. 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.
“The team will proceed to fully support Franky in every way we can to close out our time spent together in the best possible way.”
The British GP is on the weekend of August 4.
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