At the end of this first day of MotoGP testing in Jerez, Valentino Rossi only appears in 17th position, 1,5 seconds behind Danilo Petrucci.
The Doctor did not have a very easy day, especially since one of his motorcycles had to land on a flatbed truck following a mechanical problem.
The Yamaha rider spoke to the press.
Valentino Rossi : “In the end, my position is very bad but it is also because we recognized some problems with the new tires and therefore did not do a time attack. My pace is a little better but we are not very fast and I have to check more closely what the leading drivers are doing. We continue to test the engine, we make comparisons and that. The steering is pretty clear when choosing between engines but, from what I feel, it doesn't make a huge difference. I mean when we ride the bike, and also when you compare with the front guys, our level and our speed are more or less the same as this year. So the problem is not making the right choice, the problem is that whether it's one or the other (engines), it's not the improvement we're expecting.”
Do you feel in the same situation as a year ago?
“Yes, more or less. In my opinion, it must be clear to Yamaha that this is not enough. In my opinion, if we raced tomorrow, we would be 5th, 6th, 7th, and maybe 4th if there was a crash in front. But we wouldn’t fight for victory.”
Are you angry ?
“Yes, I’m angry. It's like that ! (laughs).”
Did you lose an engine today?
“I left with the new tire but I heard a strange and bad noise, and I stopped. Honestly, I don’t know what happened.”
Have you made progress on tire wear?
“In my opinion, if you look at the test here, like in Valencia, we are fast with a new tire. Maverick is very fast and Franco is also fast. But after a few laps, all the Ducatis and also the Suzukis have a better pace.”
What are your plans for tomorrow?
“Tomorrow we have to continue testing between these two (engines) and we have something to try regarding the settings, to progress, to try to drive better and to try to understand the potential better.”
You were supposed to choose one of the 2 engines after this test, but it seems that this is not the case...
“For me, with what we have now, it’s really very easy to choose. We could choose right now.”
But you say it's not enough...
“Yes, but honestly I don’t know Yamaha’s plans for development. Are they going to do another one, or are they going to do another version? I don't know ".
MotoGP Test Jerez J.1 Ranking:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
