Now reunited under the Petronas awning for Yamaha, Valentino Rossi and Andrea Dovizioso will return to Austin like the rest of MotoGP after two years of absence. We were in 2019, in a world before which is also a lost world for the two Italian drivers. At that time, in fact, in Texas, Rossi was aiming for victory as an official Yamaha rider and Dovizioso for the podium in Ducati attire. The ambitions will be very different in 2021…
Le MotoGP returns to Austin for the first time in two and a half years, a route where Valentino Rossi et Andrea Dovizioso had finished in the top 4 in 2019. For the new duo Petronas-Yamaha, the situation will be different in 2021. 900 days will have passed since the last Grand Prix in Texas, when the MotoGP stars return to the Circuit of the Americas near Austin on Friday. Valentino Rossi had missed the victory in 2019 by just 0,462 seconds against the official Suzuki alex rins.
Two years later, a result in the top 10 would already be a success for the Italian 42 years old who is making his farewell tour this season. “ I love Austin and the last time we drove there was a great weekend for me. We will have to wait until we are there to understand our potential, but I'm positive and hopefully we can improve some of the things we need to have a good race “, said the Petronas Yamaha rider. “ We'll see what happens, but it's really good that we're playing this Grand Prix abroad this season. I can't wait to be there again ».
Dovizioso: “ it is difficult to predict what will happen«
His new teammate Andrea Dovizioso stood on the podium twice in Austin in 2014 and 2015, while still a Ducati rider. In 2019 he was fourth. However, before his second race outing after a ten-month absence, the driver of 35 years is careful. “ There are still a lot of areas I need to work on, but it was good that we had the Misano test to get more time on the bike ", did he declare.
« I don't really know what to expect from this weekend.. First of all, I have to see what the situation is on the track and what the grip is. It's a very demanding track, the track had a lot of bumps last time. The weather will of course have an impact, but it's the same for everyone. It's hard to predict what will happen, but I hope I continue to improve this weekend “, said the three-time MotoGP runner-up, who is riding an M1 for the first time since 2012.
