On this Saturday August 14, 2021, Valentino Rossi answered questions from journalists from the Red Bull Ring circuit, at the end of the second day of the Austrian Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Italian rider who is starting his last half-season in MotoGP.
As usual, we report here the words of Valentino Rossi without the slightest formatting.
Valentino Rossi : “I'm not very happy with my day because I could have done better. I had better potential but unfortunately the second software was very, very bad. I had no grip to improve my time. With the first, I did 23.9 and I thought I could do better with the second, but unfortunately it didn't work: I had much less grip. So it's quite frustrating because, without there being anything exceptional, I could have gone further ahead, but anyway, apart from that, my pace wasn't too bad this afternoon today. We are all very close I was quite fast until the last laps, even with the worn tires, so for tomorrow the objective is to try to fight with the group which has more or less the same pace as me, try to finish the race and try to score some points. »
You tried the new hard front tire. What do you think ?
“Yes, today I tried the hard one before and it works well. I feel comfortable with it, as it provides good support when braking, and it works well. We need it to be warm because today we tested this hard tire in direct sunlight with high asphalt temperature. So if tomorrow the conditions are the same, we can try to use the hard one. »
What if there are clouds during the race?
“That’s always the problem: Where is the transition between medium and hard? Last week it was cold during the race and it worked well for the medium. Today it was hot and it was good for the hard, so we have to wait to know the conditions 10 minutes before leaving, and try to understand if the temperature is enough for the hard which offers a little more potential to the braking. And as you know, braking is very important here. »
You say you had a problem with your tire. Do you feel like this is becoming more and more common?
“It happens sometimes during the season. It's like that ! Yes, that's a problem. This is a problem because more or less everyone encounters this kind of problem sometimes. When you qualify and you use two softs, you can compare with the same conditions and the same bike, and sometimes the difference is quite clear. Some tires are a little better, some tires are a little worse. I think it's not easy for Michelin because of course these tires have a very high performance, and it's very difficult to make tires for motorcycles because you have to have good grip with a small footprint when you're inclined. And this is where you feel that sometimes certain tires are less efficient. So you must also be lucky. »
You started FP3 with a soft rear tire. Is this an option for racing?
“The soft rear tire is not an option for us because it moves too much, but I used it this morning for a question of quantity: We have to save the mediums because the hards are not an option since they do not offer no adhesion. That's why we went out this morning with a tender. And also to see if that could be an option, but definitely not. For me, he is too soft. »
Cal Crutchlow said the Yamaha's operating area was gradually progressing. Do you agree ?
“In my opinion, it's quite difficult for us here because we lose a lot in acceleration, compared to the fast bikes. So we have to use the strong points of our bike, which are braking and corner entry, and we have to attack a lot. It's not that bad but it's still difficult. The problem is that when you are fast in a straight line, the gain is free for the driver and for the tires. When you have to brake hard and enter corners faster, it's harder on the rider and on the tires. That's why it's not easy, but hey. Regarding the race, the important thing is to try to have a good pace until the end, including in the last laps, and today in FP4 I was not bad with tires that had 17 laps. I had some good times. »
The debriefing was then interrupted by Cal Crutchlow who came to say that Valentino Rossi and he were older than most of the journalists present, but he loved his teammate, etc., etc., etc…:)
After this moment of freshness, Valentino Rossi then defended Michelin in Italian, specifying how difficult it was to make MotoGP tires despite all the advanced machinery used, and indicating that the difference between a "good" and a "bad" tire was of the order of two tenths per lap.
Ranking of qualifications of Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring:
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
