After the presentation of the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team held this morning in Sepang, the two official riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi answered questions from the international press.
Obviously, following the tenure of Maverick Vinales et fabio quartararo in the Factory team for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the big question to which we await the answer concerns the future of the Italian star who made Yamaha's colors shine for more than a decade.
Valentino Rossi, who could not already make a firm commitment to continue, explained sincerely: “It was a difficult decision for me. Because I wanted to wait, and it was not without consequences. This means I don't have a place in the factory team for 2021. On the other hand, I don't want to continue riding if I'm not competitive. In every sport, you have to put in a lot of effort if you want to stay at the top, especially if you're no longer the youngest. In the modern world of MotoGP you have to fight every day if you want to stay on top. You can only do it if you have motivation and joy. And the results are the most important part. I asked Yamaha to figure this out. Because my main goal is to continue in 2021. Yamaha has a first class team with Petronas, and they showed last year that they are very competitive and at a very high level. Ultimately, not much would change for me if I moved places. I don't know if I could take my old team with me. We haven't discussed it yet. It will also depend on Fabio. Maybe he'll want to take a few Petronas technicians with him, or maybe his whole team. On the other hand: if I make a change, why not a complete change? What is important for me is that Yamaha is ready to continue with me and that they still have confidence in me. They offered me factory machines and maximum factory support. »
