During these pre-season tests in Qatar, Valentino Rossi finished 7th on the first day, three tenths behind the best time, 11th on the second, 7 tenths behind, and 2nd today, 2 tenths behind Johann Zarco.
Does this mean that he would have hidden his game, as during the other tests which took place in Malaysia and especially in Thailand?
The hypothesis does not hold water but, simply, the Italian champion worked tirelessly to manage to adjust his M1, and thus complete the success of the Yamaha in Qatar.
In the end, therefore, an excellent time but also a very good race pace, even if this was only achieved during nine consecutive laps.
The man from Tavullia took stock in front of journalists: “It was important to do well because we suffered a lot in Thailand. It's a good result to be second, it's also important for the whole team. We worked a lot over the three days and then we put it all together in the last afternoon and I was very fast, both in the lap time and race pace. But, we are all still very close on the timesheets, there are a lot of drivers who are strong. We continue to suffer too much with the tires, both front and rear, and if we are level with the others in the second part of the race, we will only know in two weeks. We still have ups and downs, from one track to another the performance of the bike changes enormously, we have to try not to suffer too much on difficult tracks. Yamaha has to work hard now. This primarily concerns electronics. Everyone has enough motivation for that, because Yamaha wants to win. But I don't know how long it will take to resolve this problem. This is our weak point”
Today the Yamaha rider was the protagonist of a fall without consequences…
" The fall ? I was trying the hardest front tire, this tire is difficult, I felt the feeling was missing on the right side and I slipped. But everything is fine. Positive test, like the one at Sepang, because I was fast even if I missed the timed lap. I'm not happy with Thailand, where I suffered the most. »
Vinales…
“Vinales?” He's not happy, but in the end, he's there... He's young and wants to be a second in front of everyone (laughs). Compared to the other teams, from an electronic point of view, it seems to me that Honda and Ducati are a little ahead, this is very important for the second part of the race where we are still suffering too much. But it is also true that our bike, on circuits where we can make the tires work, is competitive, that is an important aspect. I did a lot of long runs and a lot of laps with worn tires, up to half a race distance, I'm strong, we improved over the three days, but to understand what will happen after 22 laps, we will have to wait for the first race…”
Johann Zarco…
“We have to see which tires he did the simulation with, in any case he is very strong. Last year he finished on top and this year he did the same again. This will be a very difficult opponent for everyone to beat. »
The title…
“Yes, of course that’s the goal. But I have to start by being stronger than last year and getting more podiums. I don't have the right to suffer in the races I love, like in Jerez or Barcelona. I always have to stay in the top five. »
Massimo Meregalli : “We have worked very hard these last three days and it has not always been easy. We encountered some difficulties along the way, which took some time to fix, but ultimately we managed to do a lot of testing and find solutions. We tried a lot of things, some were good, some weren't, and we made a big step at the end of the dry session. We also had the opportunity to try the trail in rainy weather. The most important thing is that the riders feel good on the bike and can have a competitive and regular rhythm, because the season will start in two weeks, which we are very happy about. »
#QatarTest MotoGP Losail J.3: Chronos
1. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, 1:54,029 min
2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,247 sec
3. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,302
4. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,428
5. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +0,442
6. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,562
7. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,621
8. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,630
9. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,663
10. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,720
11. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, +0,745
12. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,103
13. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,150
14. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,203
15. Hafizh Syahrin, Yamaha, +1,244
16. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,271
17. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +1,318
18. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +1,436
19. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +1,460
20. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +1,566
21. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1,734
22. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +1,914
23. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,093
#QatarTest MotoGP Losail: Cumulative times
1. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, 1:54,029 min
2. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,247 sec
3. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,302
4. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,428
5. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +0,442
6. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0,557
7. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,562
8. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,621
9. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,630
10. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,663
11. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,720
12. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, +0,745
13. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,103
14. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,150
15. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,203
16. Hafizh Syahrin, Yamaha, +1,244
17. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,271
18. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +1,318
19. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +1,436
20. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +1,460
21. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1,510
22. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +1,566
23. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +1,914
24. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,093
25. Mika Kallio, KTM, +3,189
