On this Sunday, June 20, 2021, Valentino Rossi answered questions from journalists from the Sachsenring circuit, at the end of the German Grand Prix which saw him secure 14th place across the finish line.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Italian pilot who is still in difficulty.
As usual, we report here the words of Valentino Rossi without the slightest formatting.
Valentino Rossi : " Since the warm up, I had a good feeling. The warm up was good because I had good grip. I had good times there from start to finish and I also had fun driving. So we went into the race optimistic and everything turned out to be a little more difficult. I needed a good start but I had a bad start! So I got stuck in traffic and it was very, very difficult to overtake. Finally, when I found a clear track in front of me, I made good times. I did 32.0 during the race and it's a good time: I'm in line with the top drivers. It's good but I always had to fight and I always had traffic, so it wasn't easy. Towards the end, in the last laps, my pace was pretty bad and I had to slow down because I was slipping a little too much. So in the end, I finished 14th and we took a few points, but we expected a little better. »
Considering the results of Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Viñales, it wasn't just you who had problems at Yamaha. Is it just a power issue or was there something else going on?
« Today, Franco and Maverick also suffered a lot. We are in a difficult situation with the Yamahas because if you don't start at the front, you are behind, it is very difficult because we have to ride a little differently behind the other bikes. So we can't use the good things on our bike. We also suffered a lot because we were very slow on the straight. I think all the bikes are more or less faster than us. To overtake you have to come very close to braking, because we are now braking very hard. But we always lose on the straights, so more than overtaking on the straights, you have to hope that the guy behind doesn't overtake you! It's difficult and I also believe that this circuit is not the best. It's not easy but on the other hand Quartararo is fast. He had a very good weekend and a very good race. I think his performance level is very impressive this year, and he leads the championship, so I think he is able to handle this problem. Also because he can start in front, more or less everywhere. »
Do you have any idea what Yamaha could do to solve your problems?
« I think the bike is like that for this year. The next test is in Misano, and maybe we can have different new things, but you have to manage, try to do the best and work well. It also depends on the circuits: Some circuits are better, others more difficult. But I think that, overall, our bike is like that and we have to work to improve. But I don't have any great ideas (laughs)! »
Do you think things will go better at Assen?
« I am very happy to race in Assen because it is a very beautiful place. I love the circuit which is natural, but for sure it will be very difficult because everyone is very strong and everyone is very fast. We have to work hard from Friday and we hope for good weather. On paper, the circuit is better for Yamaha, so we'll see. »
What do you think of Maverick Viñales' current situation?
« I know Maverick because we were teammates in the Factory team for a long time and he is a very fast boy. He is very strong and he has great talent! Our situation is a bit difficult, especially during races because it is not easy to fight with others. So I hope he can be stronger in the next races. »
Standings for the MotoGP German Grand Prix at Sachsenring:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
