Valentino Rossi spoke with a view to a 2021 season which will be nothing more and nothing less than his 26th world championship. A longevity that alone inspires respect. At 42, the Doctor is preparing to go into battle against a platoon, the majority of which could be his sons. He sets his roadmap and gives an indication of what he thinks of this paddock of the world after...
Valentino Rossi will do it again this season, for the twenty-sixth time, but in a sense, it will also be a first. Indeed, never in his career at the highest level of motorcycle racing has he presented himself at the start in the leather of a satellite pilot. However, this is what its new colors Petronas will suggest. Nevertheless still in the fold Yamaha , he will have his student as a teammate Franco Morbidelli, which says a lot about his longevity in the industry...
The Doctor doesn't confide that often but he opened up about Corriere della Sera on what he expects from this new campaign, the second in a world after that which does not really please him. On this point, he admits: “ it will be another abnormal championship. Last year, in the race with empty stands around me, I asked myself: what's the point? What am I doing here ? I hope it will go a little better, with fewer repeated races on the same track, in short, I'm waiting for a real world championship. As for the virus, I am ready to get vaccinated ».
Valentino Rossi: “running at 42 doesn’t change much”
When asked what he can still run after, he answers both simply and firmly… “ I'm running because I think I can win the tenth title, but it's not an obsession. I would be happy to do well, to get on podiums, to be a protagonist, in the fight. Winning in MotoGP is a difficult business, because the level of riders is very high ».
Is the weight of the years being felt? For the Doctor, it’s a false debate: “ racing at 42 doesn't change much, I push as much as possible while avoiding doing stupid things, but I was like that even at 20, I was never a reckless driver. If I overtook Stoner at Corkscrew at Laguna Seca it was because it wasn't the riskiest. It was spectacular and famous, but at this point it's going slow ».
