Next weekend, Valentino Rossi will once again take on a competitive season. HAS 40 , he can boast of a great experience which gives him the necessary perspective to analyze his environment and his cadets. He has seen adversaries pass and has already identified those to follow. A longevity all the more remarkable because everything around him has changed. Or almost…
It has now been ten years since Valentino Rossi did not taste the joys of a world title. In 2009, he won the duel against his teammate at the time, Jorge Lorenzo. With anthology moments like the Barcelona race, when Red exceeded Lorenzo in the last turn. “Unfortunately it was a long time ago – too long ago, 2009 was a great season“, remembers the Doctor. “I fought with my teammate all year and ended up winning the championship, so I have good memories of that. "
Since then, Red was vice-world champion three times. In 2015, he missed the world title by just five points. Since its last title, MotoGP has changed a lot. The level has seriously tightened and has become much more competitive. “On the one hand, a lot has changed, on the other not“, said the Yamaha official. “MotoGP and our sport in general has changed because the level is much higher, everyone works harder than ten years ago. But the team vector hasn't changed, it's the same thing. "
He specifies : "the atmosphere in the team is important to achieve results“. The only major change in the entourage of the nine-time title winner in recent years has been the change of chief engineer. At the end of 2013, Jeremy Burgess left. The Italian Silvano Galbusera arrived in place. The remaining technicians, such as Matteo Flamigni, Alex Briggs and Brent Stephens, have worked together for many years. In 2019, however, Red has a new coach. Instead of Luca Cadalora, Idalio Manuel gavira will observe it from the side of the track. Finally, Yamaha engineer Hitoshi Hoshino is now part of his box marked 46.
On the raising of the general level, he develops: “in all areas, the level has increased. The drivers are now better athletes, they train a lot more, they all focus on the details. The teams are doing a lot more than before, and the whole of the rider, the bike and the team makes all the difference – you have to work harder than ten years ago".
If you want to be successful, you have to put the puzzle together. “in modern MotoGP this is the key", highlighted Red. "We are always working to save tires, which is very difficult because you have to be precise and make the difference as a driver. At the same time you have to work closely with the engineers, which is the goal this season if you want to win".
Grip exiting corners and tire management over the race distance are essential. Yamaha is focusing on this area, as highlighted on motorsport total the team director, Lin Jarvis "Since last year, our team has relied exclusively on tire performance during the Grand Prix weekend, and we will return to that this year. It is very important to properly adjust the electronic components to save the tire. I can't say exactly how we work with Michelin, but we need to understand this issue better. "
