Valentino Rossi, nine-time World Champion, author of 115 Grand Prix successes, and who reached his 199th podium during his last visit to Jerez, this time left Andalusia seventeenth in the Spanish Grand Prix, at 22,7s from winner Jack Miller on his Ducati. He was even overtaken by his brother Luca Marini, rookie in the category. A disappointment which has been the norm since the start of the season. His elders, and his younger ones, but all retirees remain speechless and expect only one thing from him: awareness to stop the massacre and take advantage of everything he has earned. However, if we listen to the Petronas team, we shouldn't count on it too much...
We thought that Valentino Rossi had hit rock bottom in 2020, but it seemed like this 2021 campaign signaled there was still some room to go. With four points on the clock in four Grands Prix contested and performances that only a fourth time in qualifying in Qatar allows us to save a semblance of honor, the Doctor's situation is scabrous to say the least. It would be another pilot, there is no doubt that the exit would be clearly indicated to him.
Petronas on Valentino Rossi: “the level has increased”
Yes but here it is, Valentino Rossi does not resign himself to his fate. According to his team Petronas, he does not lose courage and continues to work hard to try to solve the problems that prevent him from fighting with the best. And he also did it during the recent tests at Jerez de la Frontera, following a Spanish Grand Prix with a very bitter taste.
Indiscretions about the Doctor arrive from the team Petronas, which show how much he cares about the situation and how much he strives to improve and be able to fight with the best in the race: “ he works like a beast to gain positions. What is happening is that the competition is very tight and the level has increased ”, we learn on AS from the members of the team in Malaysian colors. Motivation and self-sacrifice at work that don't really shed any light on the state of mind of a future retiree... At the end of the Jerez test which turned out to be positive, the Doctor admitted that he had " desperately need to improve " since " le morale was very low after the Jerez race, both mine and that of the team. It went better and smiles also appeared. We must confirm the progress at Le Mans.”
