After his victory at the Assen circuit, Valentino Rossi was obviously the star of the post-race press conference which also brought together Danilo Petrucci and Marc Márquez.
As usual, in order to avoid any abusive journalistic interpretation, we offer you a “raw” translation of the entirety of the words of Valentino Rossi, without any formatting.
What a weekend! There was always that weekend but you end it in the best way. Amazing…
“Yes, I am very happy. Certainly, it's an important victory like all victories, but after a year, it's a great feeling because honestly, I ride motorcycles for what you feel during the five or six hours after the victory. It's a fantastic feeling. And it came after a great race, a great battle with Danilo, with Marc, also with Zarco.
I'm also happy on the technical side because we worked a lot, we changed the chassis and I'm able to drive in a better way. It's also important for the championship because it's incredibly open, after eight races, for a lot of different riders and different bikes. So it's very interesting.
But this season we discovered that from one week to the next everything can change and so it will be very important next week to try to be strong at the Sachsenring as well. But before thinking about next week, we try to appreciate this 10th victory of my career at Assen, and which I am very proud of. After the 10th in Barcelona, I was able to also achieve 10 victories in my career in Assen, and they are two of my favorite circuits, so it's a nice feeling. »
The weather didn't make it easy for you, even during the race...
“Yes, I think it was very difficult for everyone, because it was open in terms of settings. In my case it was also open between the two different bikes, but it was also very very open regarding the tires, because we knew that the hard (rear) tire worked well for us, but the temperature was very low and it there were a few drops of water. So we weren't at all sure of our choice. But in the end we made the right choice for the rear, and the bike and tire worked well until the end.
The first moment I started to be optimistic for victory was when I was in the lead and was able to keep a good pace, but it started to rain. So it was like we had to start all over again from there. I hoped it wouldn't increase too much and I fought a bit with Danilo who is always strong in these situations. I also saw him struggle when he was in the lead because it's much more difficult when you're in the lead, since there just needs to be a little more water in a corner for you to lose the whole race . Eventually, I think the rain was light and I started to push more, and I had some good last laps. »
You are 11 points behind in the championship going to Germany where Honda is the favorite…
“Yes, the championship is incredible. I'm very happy that it's like that because it's also very pleasant to follow him. Nothing is decided, everything is open between different pilots, but also different motorcycles. The Sachsenring is a very different circuit compared to Assen, and in recent years Honda, and in particular Márquez, has always been very, very strong there. So we will have to be competitive there as well. »
You had contact with Johann Zarco after expanding a little. Did you know he was there?
“Regarding Zarco, I'm starting to think he's not a bad guy. He simply doesn't understand the distance between two motorcycles, because today, like in Austin, he tried something impossible. Well, I didn't expand, it was just my trajectory, and for me, when you try to overtake someone, you also have to calculate that the other cannot disappear. He was very late and touched me on the leather. He's aggressive, OK, but as long as everything goes well, that's the way it is. Anyway, as Marc says, it's MotoGP and everyone has to be aggressive. It's like that. »
At the finish line, the gap with Danilo was very, very small. Didn't you celebrate this a little bit early?
“Regarding Danilo, honestly, I attacked a lot and I braked tight in the last chicane, and maybe yes, I celebrated (a little early) but I think at that moment it was impossible to overtake between the chicane and the finish line, with a MotoGP accelerating. »
How many points do you think it will take to win the title?
" It's hard to say. For me, looking at numbers is also a passion. At the moment we are at 115 points, so it looks like it will be a championship without many points. But we discovered this year, many times, that everything can change from one week to the next, so the important thing is to try to drive the right way, try to have a good feeling and to try to fight each time to get into the top 5. Afterwards, we'll see. »
Did you change your approach when you saw that Vinales was out of the race?
“With the pace Maverick had on Friday, I was worried he could come back. At the beginning I tried to attack from the first lap, but anyway we had a pretty good pace compared to the conditions. So when I saw "Vinales Out", it was important information for the rest of the race, but at that moment you don't have time to be happy or sad, and you just have to think about going as soon as possible. »
Can you briefly explain what difference in behavior the new chassis offers?
“From the first time I tried the bike, I had difficulties and I didn't feel comfortable entering corners. I have to force the bike too much, which is not my riding style, and I don't feel fast on entry. I wasn't quick on entry. I think this moment is a good area for the Yamahas, it's our strong point, and we have to work to improve that. »
When the rain came, was changing bikes an option for you?
“I followed the forecast, and in my mind it wasn't going to start raining. But it was just my idea (laughs). I hoped so. Anyway, there were seven or eight laps left to finish, so I think at that moment it was better to resist because if you change bikes you lose a lot of time. But in this kind of situation, it's also a question of luck. »
Zarco had a soft rear tire, Marquez a medium and you a hard. And the three of you were in front. Was tire choice a little less important this time?
“We were lucky because on Friday we were able to compare the medium and the hard. I think it depends a lot on the bike, and it also depends a little on the different riding styles, but a lot on the bike. On our bike, the hard works better than the medium. So I knew that, but you need good conditions to put in the hard stuff, so everything was open until the last moment. I also knew that the other guys in front were on medium. But I know that under normal conditions we can be stronger with the tough, and so I decided to take the risk. »
You've been winning for 21 years, you have 115 victories: are you going to beat Giacomo Agostini's record?
“Honestly, if you look at the numbers, I'm not very close since I haven't won much in recent years. It's a long long way to Agostini. But honestly, I race for the feeling you have after victory. The numbers… yes, it’s important, but not that much. »
Do you think your new chassis helped you using the hard rear tire?
“Well, I don’t know. But I can ride the bike better, and after all it's easier, so also using the hard rear tire. »
What would have happened if you and Marc had arrived at the same time at the last chicane?
“(Laughs) At the start of the race, I saw Zarco in front but I knew he had a soft rear tire, so I thought the race would be against Marc again, once again. And I was very worried (laughs). But anyway, I was also worried with Zarco and Petrucci, so it didn't change much. But this time, I was able to arrive in front. »
