Heat Is On For Petronas Yamaha SRT Duo As MotoGP Heads Into Final Straight

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- With just three races to go and 75 points up for grabs, Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (Petronas Yamaha SRT) riders Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli head to the Grand Prix of Europe this weekend knowing they have to get their act right to overtake championship leader Joan Mir. While the Grand Prix of Europe (Nov 6-8) and Valencia GP (Nov 13-15) will be held at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, this season’s final race, the Portuguese GP, will be held at the Portimao Circuit from Nov 20-22. Quartararo, who finished second after starting from pole at the Valencia GP on the same circuit last year, will be hoping for another good result this weekend in a bid to ramp up the pressure on current world championship leader Mir of Team Suzuki Ecstar. The Spaniard leads the standings with 137 points, followed by Quartararo (123 pts), Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales (118) and Morbidelli (112). Frenchman Quartararo, though, is confident he can make up the 14-point deficit in the standings over the next two weekends in Valencia, before the final round in Portimao immediately after. “Although we had two difficult races last time out in Aragon, I want to take advantage of the good feeling I always have astride a MotoGP bike at Valencia in these two races coming up. It’s a small track, but it’s one that I like. I had a great feeling there last year when I took pole position and a podium finish, and also in the post-season test. There are three races left and a 14-point gap with the leader. We know how fast we can be, so I think we have some good opportunities going into these final events in Valencia and Portimao. I’m looking forward to the first of them this weekend,” he said in the statement. Morbidelli, fresh from taking his second MotoGP victory last time out, is also keen to continue his good form in Valencia this weekend and close the 25-point gap on Mir. The Italian managed to get on the podium at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in 2017 when he was racing in the Moto2 category. “It feels good going into the final three races of the year after my second win of the season at Aragon. Valencia can be a tricky circuit when riding a MotoGP bike, as it’s narrow and the MotoGP bikes have so much power for a track that’s quite small compared to other categories. “We go there just 25 points behind the leader, so I want to be aggressive in these final races in Valencia and Portimao to see what we can achieve,” said Morbidelli. -- BERNAMA