The years go by and are not necessarily the same for Valentino Rossi. So, on October 25, 2009, he became world champion for the ninth time in his career. Ten years later, the Yamaha rider took seventh place at Phillip Island in Australia. Furthermore, his last victory dates back to two years ago at Assen. And the Doctor himself recognizes that it is not reasonably within range yet. However, there is better and Vale is reassuring about his feelings at the start of the Australian Grand Prix…
Valentino Rossi can be satisfied with his last Friday at Phillip Island. because even if he finished his performance more than six tenths behind his teammate Casa Particular in Viñales, he is only ahead of a little more than a tenth by Dovizioso second. And, above all, he showed that he was on the pace at Phillip Island both on the wet track and on the dry tarmac. “ Friday was very important because we tested both conditions » specifies the Yamaha official. “ It looks like it will be wet again on Saturday, so everyone pushed to stay in the top 10. At the end I was seventh in the dry, my pace is pretty good. In both cases I feel good on the bike, even in the wet, because I was fourth ", said Valentino Rossi.
« Of course, we have to work in some areas to improve and try to understand the best option for tires. But the feeling with the bike is good “, he says. The last phase of FP2 was like a qualification, because on Saturday rain is expected again. “ Yes, it was », Confirmed Vale. “ The only difference is that you start from zero in qualifying, but in free practice you are on the bike for half an hour. In the end, we used two soft tires, like the majority of drivers. So that sounds a lot like a qualification. »
This Sunday, Valentino Rossi will live 400ème Grand Prize… “ It's been a long time since I won. Now, frankly, we don't think about winning because we're too far away », admitted the 40-year-old pilot. “ The situation was pretty bad in the last few races because I wasn't strong enough. We must take it step by step: try to be more competitive, do better and solve our problems. You will then be able to see the result. »
The experienced Italian does not want to set a specific objective for the race on Sunday: “ It's always very difficult to say on Friday, because everything can change until Sunday. We have to try to be stronger than in previous races and in both track conditions. We also changed a bit in the wet, because I didn't like the bike last time. But I wasn't so bad Friday morning. " He finishes : " everything is open. It depends on what happens on Saturday and the weather. But we try to be competitive. »
MotoGP Australia J1: times
