The cape of 40 has now passed for a Valentino Rossi who, after the party, will be able to concentrate again on what will be his twentieth season in the premier category. And his twenty-third absolute. A longevity which has in no way diminished his determination to achieve victory in each of his performances. And the world title in each campaign. But the Doctor also admits to regretting two voids, one of which will probably never be filled...
Valentino Rossi is 40 years old but not ready to retire. However, he knows exactly where he stands: “ you have to be very realistic. I realize that 10 or 15 years ago, I was the fastest on the track and often more. But I feel that if I work well, I am fit and focused, I can be the one who is the strongest ».
And being the strongest means going for that damn tenth title that your own mother describes as curse : " it's a dream that I firmly believe in, but it's also a regret because I could already have it. I lost two world championship titles in the last race and I was also vice-world champion several times. So given my career, I deserve it. That's why I try “, he admitted.
He adds : " I would have won the title in 2006 in Valencia if I had stayed calm and not crashed. Then there were a lot of things I didn't understand, whether it was a mistake or not. Having gone to Ducati, or even to Yamaha, instead of continuing to win at Honda. Or what happened in 2015 when I unfortunately lost the championship. But the real mistake was 2006, I could have won ».
The other regret is this: “ I don't know if I could win with the current Ducati. But I really regretted not being able to win with them. It wasn't the right time. Both of us have experienced success ».
In comments relayed by speedweek, he ends on the subject of a retirement which we harp on at every opportunity: “ is this my last contract? Honestly, I do not know. It might or might not be the last. We're talking about stopping something that hasn't even started yet. For now, I want to continue running. Maybe it's a bit of a drug. It's what you love, what you want to do. The rest doesn't give you the same thing. I'm not ready to quit and retire. The idea of stopping doesn't terrify me. At some point it will happen. But as long as I can do it, I want to continue ».
