Franco Morbidelli says he wa✅s able to do a “real sprint race” at MotoGP’s San Marino Grand Prix as he ended his podium drought with a t𝐆hird-place finish on Saturday.

The Pramac rider hasn’t had an easy season since s🙈tepping onto the Ducati, with the Italian losing all of the pre-season to a concussion and starting the campaign on the back foot as a result.

In recent rounds Morbidelli has started🤡 to show good pace on the GP24 and at Misano he qualified on the front row fo🔜r the first time since the 2021 Spanish GP.

🐷In the sprint he fended off factory Ducati team rider Enea Bastianini to secure the last step on the podium, which marked his first in a sprint and his first of any kind since Jerez 2021.

Morbidelli admits he is “lacking in some areas” compared to the leading Duc𝓀atis, but feels the🎀 speed he showed was genuine.

“Was a great Saturday,” he began.

“We made front row in th🔯e morning and this afternoon we managed to make a ‘real’ ജsprint race, I mean by rhythm.

“The to🐠p two guys were able to keep a very impressive rhythm and we managed to stay there.

“We wer𒈔e lacki🌟ng a little bit in some areas, but finally it was good enough to get P3.

“I’m really happy. We will try for tomorrow to bring some improvements and get better. Let’s see if we mღanaged to.”

Morbidelli added: “I mean, it’s quite a while that I d꧒idn’t 🌌have this feeling [while] riding.

“Now I’m getting back on having ꧂that kind of feeling, which is helped for sure by seeing the first position therཧe. I want to keep it that way.”

While the former Misano grand prix winner will start Sunday’s full distance race as a favourite to battle for the podium, Morbidelli says tyre choice🌜 will be critical for him.  

“First of all, we’ve got to choose t🅰he tyre,” he said.

“It’s going to be important to make the right🔥 cho𒐪ice and it’s going to be important to make some other steps for having a better performance and a better feeling in some areas.”