It is with a top 10 that Valentino Rossi leaves the Sepang track after three days of intensive testing. His teammate Casa Particular in Viñales, he came out with a top 5. Meanwhile, Honda did what it could with what they had available while the Suzuki showed itself in a good light with Rins. The Ducati sun, on the other hand, is squarely at its zenith. But for all that, we will have to count on this new M1 which is on the right track.
Valentino Rossi will be 40 years old on February 16. He finished tenth on the third and final day of MotoGP testing. He lost 0,916 seconds to the Ducati factory rider's best time Danilo Petrucci. Nothing to brag about, but there's nothing to be depressed about either. “ I'm only half happy and satisfied “, declared the Monster Yamaha factory rider. “ Because certain areas of the bike worked well, we improved our performance. But the other components didn't perform as we hoped. On the one hand, we have seen progress in this first test, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. What remains to be done is considerable. I'm happy with the atmosphere in the team and the ideas we have. Looks like Yamaha is working hard on improvements. It is important ».
On the competitors, the Doctor diagnoses: “ the Ducatis were impressive in the search for the time. We have to keep in mind that Márquez was not in front because his shoulder is giving him problems. And we saw that we have work to do in completing the one fast lap. We are in better racing condition. But if we were to race tomorrow, we wouldn't be so good. We must become more competitive. But since it's the first test, we're not so bad. In ten days we have the test in Qatar. Until then, Yamaha won't deliver much new stuff. But Losail is another track with other temperatures. It will be interesting to see how we get there ».
He specifies : " what we're missing is optimal power delivery. We need to improve the engine characteristics during acceleration. We are suffering. The Ducatis are extremely fast out of corners. It seems that the drivers are also riding very well. I was behind Petrucci. Ducatis are fast and consistent. Our acceleration needs to improve ».
Michelin brought 2 tires to Malaysia. New compounds have also been added. “ I tried the new tires, they are interesting,” said Rossi. “We particularly liked the front and rear tires. They are better than the old ones. I hope we will have them soon in Grand Prix ».
Finally, Vale compares this offseason with that of the last two years: “ I don't feel so bad. Because in 2017 and 2018. We had new parts, Yamaha worked. But we have always been in uncertainty. Is it really better or not? We always had doubts... This time we tried something that was beneficial, but we also tried something that didn't work. But at least we have a direction in mind. We need time because our opponents are stronger than us. But we have more confidence than in the last two years »
Before leaving the premises, the nine-time winner does not forget the new test team… “ It's helpful to have the test team with Folger ».
MotoGP, Sepang J3 Test: times
| 1 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati GP19 | 1:58.239 | ||
| 2 | 63 | Francis Bagnaia | Ducati GP18 | 1:58.302 | 0.063 | 0.063 |
| 3 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati GP19 | 1:58.366 | 0.127 | 0.064 |
| 4 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati GP19 | 1:58.538 | 0.299 | 0.172 |
| 5 | 12 | Maverick Vinales | Yamaha M1 | 1:58.644 | 0.405 | 0.106 |
| 6 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda RC213V | 1:58.780 | 0.541 | 0.136 |
| 7 | 41 | Aleix Espargaró | Aprilia RS-GP | 1:59.022 | 0.783 | 0.242 |
| 8 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha M1 | 1:59.141 | 0.902 | 0.119 |
| 9 | 30 | Takaaki Nakagami | Honda RC213V | 1:59.148 | 0.909 | 0.007 |
| 10 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha M1 | 1:59.155 | 0.916 | 0.007 |
| 11 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda RC213V | 1:59.170 | 0.931 | 0.015 |
| 12 | 42 | alex rins | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:59.180 | 0.941 | 0.010 |
| 13 | 6 | Stefan bradl | Honda RC213V | 1:59.368 | 1.129 | 0.188 |
| 14 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Ducati GP18 | 1:59.485 | 1.246 | 0.117 |
| 15 | 36 | Joan mir | Suzuki GSX-RR | 1:59.486 | 1.247 | 0.001 |
| 16 | 20 | fabio quartararo | Yamaha M1 | 1:59.497 | 1.258 | 0.011 |
| 17 | 5 | Johann zarco | KTM RC16 | 1:59.640 | 1.401 | 0.143 |
| 18 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | KTM RC16 | 1:59.751 | 1.512 | 0.111 |
| 19 | 88 | Miguel Oliveira | KTM RC16 | 1:59.949 | 1.710 | 0.198 |
| 20 | 17 | Karel Abraham | Ducati GP18 | 2:00.378 | 2.139 | 0.429 |
| 21 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | KTM RC16 | 2:00.766 | 2.527 | 0.388 |
| 22 | 50 | Sylvain Guintoli | Suzuki GSX-RR | 2:00.990 | 2.751 | 0.224 |
| 23 | 38 | Bradley Smith | Aprilia RS-GP | 2:00.995 | 2.756 | 0.005 |
| 24 | 66 | Mika Kallio | KTM RC16 | 2:01.020 | 2.781 | 0.025 |
| 25 | T2 | Nakasuga/Folger | Yamaha M1 | 2:01.243 | 3.004 | 0.223 |
| 26 | T1 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha M1 | 2:01.719 | 3.480 | 0.476 |
