The VR46 Italian returned to the top with a solid third place in Qatar, but revealed he struggled with his tyres after the first half of the race.

Franco Morbidelli returned to the premier class podium after finishing the Qatar Grand Prix in third place. A standout result for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team rider, who however had to fight back against a sharp drop in performance mid-race.

‘It was good. I’m happy with third place,’ he said, in a restrained tone, after the end of the race.

Asked if the result met his expectations, Morbidelli did not hide the fact that he expected a different type of progress: 'Yes. I was suffering. I was suffering immensely after six, seven laps. I didn’t expect to suffer so much, but I had a big crash on both tires and I tried to manage the pace as best I could with the problems I was having’, he explained.

Frustration grew as he felt that, in the early stages of the race, there was potential for more: 'It's a great shame, because at the start of the race I felt really good. I managed to get closer to the [Márquez] brothers, and I felt good potential. But then I had to pace myself.'

Even so, the ambition remained intact from the start: 'No. I mean, I was feeling really good. At the beginning of the race, I felt very good. Whenever I’m up front, I always aim for first place’, assured Morbidelli, making it clear that he is not content with just podium places.