This year, as far as possible, that is to say if the videoconference schedule allows it, we have decided to follow as closely as possible Valentino Rossi in his new adventure within the Petronas SRT team, as we were already doing for Johann Zarco (see here) et Fabio Quartararo (see here) in previous seasons.
On this Friday March 6, 2021, Valentino Rossi answered questions from journalists from the Losail circuit in Qatar, following the first day of official MotoGP testing on his Yamaha YZR-M1 from the Petronas SRT team.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the Italian pilot's words.
As usual, we report here the words of Valentino Rossi without the slightest formatting, even if the first part is translated from English (vouvoiement).
Valentino Rossi : " The first day was good. I had a lot of fun and I was very excited this morning, but ultimately it hasn't changed much because the bike is the same. There is a good atmosphere in the team, and a good atmosphere for work. In the end, the result is not fantastic but throughout the day I was not so bad: my pace was quite good, but as always there are a lot of bikes and a lot of riders who are very strong. We must therefore work as hard as possible to stay in the leading group but the first contact was positive. »
Did this new adventure give you a feeling of excitement and freshness as you entered the box this morning?
« Yes yes. This morning I was very excited because it was the start of a new adventure, with new colors, a new team and everything. This gave me a lot of motivation and a lot of strength to work. The first ride was a bit strange, but you know: in the end, the bike is still my M1, so although the outfit is changed, the rest is the same. »
Luca Marini told us that your mother had sent a message explaining how to go faster in this or that sector. Did you listen to his advice?
« My mother is always very technical and she always has interesting things to say because it's always really a different point of view (laughs). But we always have fun, because with Luca and with my mother we always discuss technical questions and it's very fun to see what she thinks (laughs). »
You say it's funny, but is she also right?
« Yes yes. She is also right and she has very good experience because she started following the races with Graziano, 40 years ago. Then Valentino, then Luca, so she has more experience than me (laughs)! »
Were you able to ride with Luca?
« Unfortunately, I didn't see Luca on the track and he didn't see me either. Here in MotoGP it's always very difficult to organize a run together, but for sure, before the end of the test, we will do a few laps together. »
Yamaha said the new bike would be closer to Morbidelli's this year. And as they have also given evolutions to the latter, do you feel the two bikes closer than last year?
« I think with last year's bike we fixed some issues but lost in some areas. And for sure, Franco's second half of the season was impressive because he was always one of the fastest on track, while on the other hand, the factory drivers were having more problems. So Yamaha tried to improve and I think they worked hard this winter. We have a few new pieces to try, but honestly we didn't test much today because we worked more on rhythm. But I think that in the next four days we have things to try, that we will have good things. »
Maio Meregalli said you would soon know if the new chassis would solve the problems encountered. Have you tried it?
« I did a few laps with the new chassis and the first contact is not so bad, but I only did six or seven laps because today we focused on the standard bike. So we will undoubtedly have a clearer idea in the coming days. The first contact wasn't that bad, but we also have different other things and different interesting pieces, so we hope to improve the feeling. We have five days so we're trying to spread it out, because it's a long way, and it's a little too early to say anything. »
This is the first time you are on the right side of the box. What impression does this make on you?
« Yes, it's true, I'm on the right side when normally I was on the left. At the beginning, I spoke with Wilco (Zeelenberg) and he told me (Rossi looks serious with big eyes): “I have to tell you something important. I think Franco must stay on the left, so you must go to the right.” I said, “Okay, that’s good.”
I mean, I think it doesn't really matter whether you're left or right. It doesn't change much and Franco has been in this team for two years already, so if he's happy to stay on the left, I'm happy to be on the right. No problem (laughings). »
You are entering your 26th Grand Prix season. Do you feel any difference in your approach?
« 26 seasons is very impressive. It's a life, not a career! But I feel good: I have enough motivation. I know the game is very hard because there are a lot of young riders and the level in MotoGP is now very high. Everyone is very strong! So it won't be easy but I will definitely give my best. This new adventure with a new team gives me a lot of motivation. I trained hard this winter and I feel very good. We will see ! But for the rest, the approach is the same. »
Credit ranking: MotoGP.com
