MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi is making a remarkable return to the paddock for the new year. After hanging up his leathers three years ago to venture onto four wheels, Rossi has announced a 180-degree turn in his priorities for 2025.
Three years after retiring as a MotoGP rider, Valentino Rossi plans to step up his paddock presence in 2025. Although he has focused on his motorsport career in recent years, the 'Doctor' is keen to refocus his attention on MotoGP, where he remains a key figure.
Rossi expressed regret over his relative absence in the 2024 season, particularly towards the drivers of the VR46 Academy. " In 2025, I want to be more present in MotoGP races, so I will also do less car racing for this reason “, he confided to Motorsport.
This decision is also motivated by the prospect of the takeover of MotoGP by Liberty Medium, which could initiate a new dynamic for the championship. Rossi, always attentive to developments in sport, seems to want to play a more active role in this new era.
The team Rossi's VR46 benefits in 2025 from more favorable treatment as a privileged satellite team of Ducati. Fabio Di Giannantonio will ride a factory-spec bike, identical to that of the official riders. Pecco Bagnaia et Marc Márquez. Franco Morbidelli, another protégé of Rossi and graduated from the VR46 Academy, joins the team as a teammate of By Giannantonio.
Valentino Rossi's increased involvement could well add an extra dose of intrigue and excitement to the upcoming season.
The departure of Marco Bezzecchi for Aprilia, where he will become a factory rider for the first time, and that of Luca marini, now official pilot at Honda, have marked major changes for the team over the last two seasons.
Pecco Bagnaia, first MotoGP champion from the VR46 Academy, will be joined in the official team Ducati by Marc Marquez. This partnership attracts particular attention, because Marquez remains a former historical rival of Rossi, especially after the controversies of 2015.
Rossi, who has never hesitated to revive the debates on this stormy period, will observe this collaboration closely. Rossi's protégé and enemy team up on the best bikes on the grid, which affirms the spectacular potential of this dynamic.
With the rise of his former protégés and the team's strategic adjustments VR46, 2025 is shaping up to be a year where the influence of Valentino Rossi will be omnipresent. As a mentor, iconic figure and passionate observer, he continues to leave his mark on MotoGP, even from off the track.
As MotoGP enters a new phase with Liberty Medium, the increased involvement of Rossi might just add an extra dose of intrigue and excitement to the upcoming season.
