Locatelli has struggled to build on his stellar rookie campaign in 2021 where he marked himself out as a star of the future, scoring just a single podium so far this year at Assen - and only after Kawasaki's Jonathan Rea and Yamaha teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu took each other out while battling for the lead.
While the Italian rider has still been consistent and has finished inside the points in all but one race, solidifying fourth place in the riders’ standings, it’s the gap to the leading trio of Rea, Razgatlioglu and Ducati’s Alvaro Bautista that has been seen as a cause of concern.
