Franco Morbidelli ‘can’t say’ what he really thinks about Alex Marquez amid VR46 battle with Gresini

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Franco Morbidelli and VR46 are battling Gresini for second place in the standings. Valentino Rossi’s squad enjoy partial factory support, so they won’t want to be upstaged.

Gresini are currently 91 points ahead, but there are still eight races remaining. Alex Marquez, one of the standout riders on the grid this year, has scored just under 70% of their points.

The Spaniard has bagged 18 podiums across the two formats, six more than any other rider outside his family. He’s also the only one to deny Marc a perfect record in the Sprint.

Like Morbidelli and Fermin Aldeguer, the younger Marquez brother is riding a year-old GP24. Some feel this remains the best bike on the grid, but the picture varies between the riders.

Franco Morbidelli wants to use Alex Marquez as a reference

In an interview with AS, Morbidelli was asked how he feels about ‘the year that Alex and Aldeguer are having’ on the same bike. Marquez has outscored him by 119 points.

Intriguingly, a smiling Morbidelli ‘can’t say’ how he really feels. But he did add that he’s using the 28-year-old as a reference.

Aldeguer, a rookie, is only 35 points behind Morbidelli, though he did follow up a career-high P2 in Austria with a non-score on Sunday at Balaton Park.

“I can’t say the first things that come to mind,” Morbidelli, who scored a Sprint podium in Hungary, said. “But I try to understand how they do it, to look at the evolution of both of them, and I try to do the same.”

Morbidelli holds a grudge against Marc Marquez, Alex’s brother, over his 2015 fallout with Rossi. He shares a close relationship with Il Dottore.

Franco Morbidelli feels he’s let Valentino Rossi down at VR46

Morbidelli is set to stay at VR46 for another year, even though he’s disappointed with his own results. His expiring contract will be renewed.

Signed from Ducati’s former partners Pramac, he says he’s ‘given everything’ but made too many mistakes despite his familiarity with the bike. Rossi continues to offer an ‘incredible’ level of support.

Morbidelli missed the German Grand Prix and Brno weekend due to a collarbone injury. He’s fallen behind the surging Marco Bezzecchi and Pedro Acosta since.

• READ MORE: Everything to know about Valentino Rossi’s VR46 from current riders to bike

“In this first year and in this first half of the year, it’s true that I haven’t been able to give the team what I wanted to, but at the same time, I know I’ve given everything I could,” he said. “I’ve fallen many more times than usual and made more mistakes than usual, and this is because I’ve tried to find a limit that I haven’t been able to control at the moment.

“But I know the only answer is hard work, continuing to push together. I must try to make fewer mistakes, first of all, and find the speed we had before the shoulder injury in Germany.

“I hope [they understand that]. The strength they try to give me every day at the GP is incredible, and it’s the strength you get from someone who believes in you.”