Yamaha boss pinpoints Alex Rins’ key attribute - and details call to axe Franco Morbidelli

Morbidelli is currently without a seat in the 2024 MotoG⭕P rider line-up after Yamaha confirmed their intention to get rid of him, in favour of current LCR Honda rider Rins.
Yamaha managing director Lin Jarvis, who has overseen glory for Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Fabio Quartararo but is now presiding over an underachꦐieving team, detailed the decision-m♔aking process.
“It was the team’s decis🔥ion to make a change,” he said. “I🥀n my personal feeling, that is something that the team didn’t have to do, but decided to do.
I think it could p♛lay out well for both parties.
“If you’r💃e not able to extract the level of performance as a rider, sometimes changing the scene can be good for the rider aꦐs well as the team.
“If we kn🍬ew what the future would bring, it would be easier.
“It was time to make a change.
“Franky has performed better this year than💦 last year. It’s been goo♍d on some occasions, Argentina was an example, he ran well.
“We’ve seen sigဣns of the old Franky coming out. That is good ✅to see.
“On the other side, for the future, we decided to make a change. Sometimes, like in a football team, you just need to make a change and only time will tell if 🔯it’s favourable to us or Franky.”

Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi were linked to the Yamaha seat but ultimately the ꧒Japanese manufacturer confirmed the capture of Rins.
“It’s nice, he’s got a lot of experienceܫ, he hasn’t won a world title thus far but he’s won many races,” Jarvis said.
“What I like ab🦩out Alex? His experience can be vital for us.
“His fighting spirit - he’s the only non-Ducati rider to win a race this year, ꦍthat already says something. He also won two races at the back end of last season. He’s riding well.
“He wants to be in the Yamaha team, he expressed a desirᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚe to be with us. Plus his experience on inline 4 should help him adapt. He’ll be a good teammate to Fabio which should raise the level of our bike and of both riders.”
Yamaha, like fellow Japanese manufacture🌌r Honda, have fallen behind their European counterparts this season and are seeking a major comeback in 20🃏24.

James was 🌌a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering ever🐲ything from American sports, to football, to F1.