LONDON (Reuters) – Italian rider Franco Morbidelli will leave Yamaha at the end of the season, the Japanese manufacturer’s factory MotoGP team said on Wednesday.
The announcement officially opens a vacancy alongside French rider Fabio Quartararo, with LCR Honda’s Spaniard Alex Rins a strong contender according to media reports.
Morbidelli, 28, was championship runner-up to Spaniard Joan Mir in 2020 when he won three grands prix but he has not won a race since then. He starts this weekend’s British Grand Prix 11th in the standings, two places behind Quartararo.
Yamaha said the Italian was moving on to “new racing challenges”.
“It’s a shame that the last two years didn’t play out the way we both wanted and hoped for,” said Yamaha team boss Lin Jarvis.
“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.”
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Christian Radnedge)
