Valentino Rossi arrived in Brno pumped up by a podium ceremony that he had missed for 17 races. A joy experienced warmly in Jerez which was very useful for him to face this first day of the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The Doctor indeed found an M1 with its grip problems, but he also noted that this concern was the lot of the entire field. The fault is a degraded coating, with which we will still have to make do. Because in this period of crisis, all races are good to play...
By posting only a twelfth time which does not yet allow him to enter directly into Q2, Valentino Rossi was not considering his 200rd podium in the premier category, on a circuit which gave him his first Grand Prix victory in 1996… “ These were difficult conditions as the track in FP1 still doesn't have much grip », first analyzed the nine-time crowned. “ But we work hard. We need to find the right balance for the bike. The choice of tires will also be very important, everything is still open ».
For the moment, it’s not the race pace that worries Vale: “ we started with a very similar setup to the one used in Jerez. Unfortunately today I didn't ride well on the fastest lap, but we're not in a bad position. It will be important to get into the top ten to enter Q2 » specifies the teammate of Maverick Vinales, fifth at the end of this Friday.
" Engine ? We can only hope that everything goes well”
Still, a word must still be said about this Brno track… “ I think the problem is money. We will talk about it to the safety commission, but to resurface a track like this, you need several million euros and who pays them? If Brno says it doesn't have any and in addition with this Covid-19 situation it has no income, it's difficult ».
He adds : " we went to Jerez in July with 60° asphalt and it's not the best time to race there, but we went for an emergency following the pandemic. Here in Brno, on the other hand, there are a lot of holes and there is little grip ». Valentino Rossi ends with this concern for engine reliability which affects the M1: “ At Yamaha they are working very hard to understand where the problem is and to resolve it, but for now we can only hope that everything goes well ».
MotoGP Brno J1: standings
