Yamaha technicians realized that their winter would not be easy from the Sepang tests at the end of January, where Maverick Vinales finished seventh and Valentino ninth, more than half a second behind. Buriram was even worse, with the Spaniard eighth and the Italian twelfth at 0.7.
During the last test session at Losail before the first Grand Prix, hope returned with Rossi second and Vinales fifth. On this circuit where Yamaha had won five of the last six editions, it seemed logical and predictable.
But the celebration was short-lived because it was noted on Saturday in the combined classification of the three free practice sessions that Rossi was ninth and Vinales eleventh, which forced him to go through Q1. Qualifying was not a triumph with Valentino eighth and Maverick twelfth (while Johann Zarco was on pole). Marc Marquez may well have declared “ Rossi will be there tomorrow ”, not everyone was convinced.
When the moment of truth came, Valentino jumped into fourth position from the start, well ahead of Maverick in fourteenth. Rossi didn't give up at all, overtook Dani Pedrosa, then made life difficult for Johann Zarco and Marc Marquez (who was right the day before?) while Andrea Dovizioso joined the fight for victory.
Valentino had a magnificent race which earned him the third step of the podium, just 0.797 behind Dovizioso, while Vinales came back like a shell and finished sixth, six hundredths behind Petrucci.
For the team manager of the Movistar Yamaha team Massimo Meregalli, quoted by Tutomotoriweb.com, who are " Rossi's presence on the podium was 60% due to Valentino and 40% to improvements made after the warm up ". The improvement in the electronics in terms of engine braking was also largely confirmed by the excellent recovery of Maverick Vinales in the race.
“Valentino had a fantastic start, which was fundamental to secure third place, said the Yamaha team manager. He did a great job staying in the front group while the pace was high and he finished only 0,797 out of first place.
“Maverick had a difficult task starting from the fourth row, but as soon as he had a clear track in front of him he managed to keep a good pace. He recorded laps in the low 1'55s, which allowed him to reach the leading group.
“The form shown by our two drivers is very motivating for the team, especially after a difficult start to the Qatar GP.
“I would like to thank our drivers, team members and engineers for their hard work.
“We aim to continue working in this way in Argentina in three weeks. »
Photos © Yamaha
