On this Saturday, June 5, 2021, Valentino Rossi answered questions from journalists from the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit at the end of the second day of the Catalan Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Italian driver qualified in 11th position.
As usual, we report here the words of Valentino Rossi without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Valentino Rossi : " This is much better for me today because we modified the bike this morning and I have a much better feeling entering corners and turning the bike from FP3. I improved my pace a lot and in the end I managed to stay in the top 10 to go to Q2. FP4 was a good session as we tried the hard rear tire and took it a step further with the bike setup. My pace wasn't so bad after all and I finished seventh. In Q2 I unfortunately crashed with the first tire, and then it was difficult because I had to jump on the second bike and I finished 11th. I think I had a little more potential, but it is what it is. Now we'll see: we'll wait until tomorrow to see the weather forecast. We hope that it will hold up and stay dry overnight as well. For tomorrow, the choice of rear tire remains open between medium and hard. We will see. »
Is the progress you've made due to this circuit that you enjoy, or is it more general?
“I think both!” I like the circuit and here in Barcelona I'm riding pretty well, but we've also improved the bike settings. I think we made a mistake on Friday and we went in the wrong direction. But you know, these are things that happen every weekend to more or less all drivers. The problem is that when this happens to me, they say “Rossi is too old, he must stop” (laughs)! After just one session! While this is normal: you are working, and you can try the wrong direction. But I'm very, very happy with the feeling I had today because I wasn't that bad on the track, and I enjoyed it. »
The race will be long and will require tire management, an exercise in which you excel: Do you think you can obtain a good result?
« It is true that tire degradation is a big problem for everyone here. It will be important to understand the exact conditions and make the right choice, especially for the rear tire but also for the front tire. I think that whatever happens, it will be a sprint race from the first corner of the first lap, because during the first two or three laps 85% of the MotoGP race is already decided. Afterwards, another long race begins where the last 15% will be decided. I think it will be like that tomorrow too. Everyone will attack a lot early on. »
After FP3, when you made P10, your team was really happy, almost as if it was a victory. Does the team also feel a lot of pressure about your performance?
« I am very happy with the behavior of the team, the atmosphere in the box, because I have real support there. All the boys understand that this challenge is difficult and everyone is very sad when my performance is bad, like on Friday when I was P 18 with a very bad pace. So they know that we need a good result and that we can still have a good race and enjoy it, but we have to be strong. The boys in my box, but also the whole team, are very supportive, and it was a fun day. For me, at the moment, moving into Q2 is a good result. I think it's more about that than the pressure. I don't think the team feels a lot of pressure. They want to arrive at the front, but that's normal, they don't feel any particular pressure. It’s more of a real support. »
Are the people who say Rossi should stop after just one bad session wrong?
« Thank you (laughs)! »
It was a question…
« In my condition, it's like that, but unfortunately it's difficult for everyone, also because this morning I was P10 by less than half a second. So everyone is there! »
Ranking of Qualification 2 of the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:
Ranking of Qualification 1 of the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com