In 2021, Valentino Rossi will be the new recruit of a Petronas Yamaha team dedicated to the development of young talents. But in the case of the Doctor, we are far from hope in the making. The Malaysian colors did their job by revealing Fabio Quartararo and building a new Morbidelli. The Doctor has only signed for one year, so from the first races of the coming season, we will already have to think about what comes next. And if we listen carefully to the team director, Johan Stigefelt, we discover that the foundations of the reflection are already laid...
For its third year of existence, the team Petronas welcomes the living legend Valentino Rossi. This because the pilot he revealed, in this case fabio quartararo, convinced Yamaha that it had to be positioned alongside Maverick Vinales. An exchange which is not necessarily a disadvantage for the Doctor who settles in a structure which won six of the seven victories of the M1 in 2020…
Sure, but Petronas was set up for young people… And Red, who is approaching his 42nd birthday, only signed for one season. A conjunction of elements which already prompts reflection on the future. And it is assumed if we are to believe the team leader Johan Stigefelt : " nWe will evaluate Rossi's performance in the first months of the year and later we will understand if he wants to continue also in 2022 », he explains on Moto sprint.
Petronas: “if he decided to retire, we would choose a novice”
And if he came to the idea Red to hang up his helmet at the end of the year, Petronas would choose an emerging talent again, like at the time Quarterly : " if he decided to retire, we would choose a novice. Because our ambition remains to help young people grow, as we did with Fabio ", explain Stigefelt.
However, one should not place too much emphasis on this scenario which might suggest that it is hoped for. SO Stigefelt adds: " we can't hide that we're a little nervous, excited, about working with a legend like Valentino. But in the discussions we have had so far, everything has gone wonderfully. I think everything will be fine, I'm confident ". It will be recalled that Vale will have as teammate the 2020 world vice-champion in the person of Franco Morbidelli, one of his brilliant students at the academy.
