Has Jorge Viegas become intoxicated by his near-unanimous re-election as head of the FIM, ratified 24 hours ago by the Annual General Meeting held in Rimini, Italy? He, who has embarked on a four-year term in a position he has held since 2018, indeed obtained 99% of the votes from the national federations present. The dissenting 00% must feel quite alone, but, bolstered by such support, Jorge Viegas gave the impression that he was in a position to decide for everyone else. And that's what [the media outlet] discovered. Valentino Rossi this Saturday morning…
What got into Jorge Viegas , the FIM President re-elected with an almost unanimous vote? A result that initially inspired his words: “ I am very grateful for the continued support I received from the federations who felt I deserved their vote. The last four years have been an incredible adventure that was only possible thanks to the extraordinary team I worked with. I can never express enough gratitude for their motivation, their availability, and their friendship; they are truly my family .”
He added: “ I would also like to thank the national federations for the remarkable achievements we have accomplished together, thanks to our common goals, our hard work and, above all, our excellent collaboration. I am fortunate to work with each of you and my sincerest desire is to continue to look after you in the future .”
That covers the official context and his area of expertise. But what followed, revealed by GPOne , brought to light Jorge Viegas's comments on a situation typically described by the promoter Dorna , who effectively controls everything and runs the show. A case in point is Razlan Razali 's RNF Aprilia team , saved after he relinquished his leadership role, by a sponsor brought in by Carmelo Ezpeleta 's team. Ezpeleta didn't hide this fact, mentioning it in the team's official press release announcing CryptoData's takeover.
Jorge Viegas is treading on the toes of Valentino Rossi
But the, Jorge Viegas spoke instead of Valentino Rossi on an approach initiated by Yamaha through Lynn Jarvis who proclaims to anyone who will listen that the 2023 season will be the exception to the rule that there are four M1s in MotoGP. In fact, there will only be two next year in official colors, since the team RNF extension The aforementioned satellite is now owned by another manufacturer.
The FIM President , almost unanimously supported by his peers, unexpectedly joined the debate : " I don't see this situation of only two Yamahas as particularly good, but I think that will only be for 2023. In 2024, Valentino Rossi's team will switch from Ducati to Yamaha ." He even added: "For now, it's just an idea and nothing is confirmed, but I'll share some news. There will be six Ducatis and four Yamahas ."
This stance is bound to cause a stir. First and foremost within VR46 , where both riders, starting with Luca Marini , are happy with their Ducati . The team boss's half-brother is even convinced it's the brand they should stick with for the team's future. Meanwhile, Yamaha has certainly not yet demonstrated on the track its ability to produce an M1 capable of challenging a Desmosedici.
Similarly, VR46 's contract with Ducati runs until the end of 2024 , so premature termination of the agreement would be necessary. Paolo Ciabatti , the sporting director of the Borgo Panigale-based manufacturer, acknowledged that maintaining an eight-bike contingent wasn't a sustainable solution in the medium term, but he certainly hadn't considered the possibility of an early termination with one of his current customer teams.
Finally, we await the reaction of Valentino Rossi who until further information remains the boss of his team VR46 and also his communication. Will the Doctor appreciate others, however prestigious, giving the impression of making decisions for him?
