On the track, the Valentino Rossi page has indeed been turned, but in hearts and minds, that remains to be seen. It's a question that came back to the fore as the audience figures fell and the peak of interest in MotoGP assessed, with a visibly unsatisfactory result since the promoter Dorna launched into a new format of the Grands Prix with a view to rekindling the enthusiasm. Because we are talking about the post-Valentino Rossi era. On the Italian side, we hear voices being raised to affirm that the Doctor's departure was poorly managed and that its impact was ultimately underestimated. Its colors are still there with the VR46 and its flamboyant heritage with Pecco Bagnaia. But it's not the same... The man from Tavullia looks back on the moment when he had to resign himself to hanging up his wetsuit.
Valentino Rossi ancient history? In fact, this is an observation, but the emotional residual remains so strongly anchored that it suffers from the absence of the hero, to the point of impacting on the general interest of MotoGP. At least that's what the audience figures indicate. The charismatic hero has not been replaced. And that's a problem because the public likes this type of character, whether he wins or loses.
Valentino Rossi: “ if you love it and have the passion, it's worth it«
Valentino Rossi left the stage on November 14, 2021 after more than a quarter of a century in the world championship. It's been a while since he was seriously considered as a contender for a MotoGP title, but his pure passion for racing has kept him going until now. And since then, he has always had a full-face helmet on his head, but in a racing car.
At the end of his career spent far from the podiums, we find his words on tuttomotoriweb : " Lose with a smile? It's hard for everyone at first » he recognizes. « It's hard to lose with a smile, especially when you're used to winning a lot, and then the passion comes back afterwards ».
He adds : " then you understand that if you want to do it, you will also have to lose, in fact you will probably have to lose more than gain when you start to get old. You ask yourself 'is it worth it? Do I have the desire?' If you love it and you have the passion, the answer is yes and so I continued for many years until the end.” He finishes : “I’m very happy with it because I have no regrets ». And that’s the main thing.
