It’s a Valentino Rossi ranked third in the championnat of the MotoGP world version 2017 which will appear at the second stage of the calendar in Argentina. A good deal for the 38-year-old driver who saw his 23-year-old teammate dominate during the last race at Qatar, as he had turned around the winter tests. Meanwhile, the Doctor was suffering on the new Yamaha chassis. But the man with 114 victories clarifies: testing is one thing and racing is another. Especially at his age!
At the launch, even delayed, of the Qatar Grand Prix, the fans of Valentino Rossi were perhaps more worried than usual. The nine-time title winner only started tenth and this rank was not an accident. During the off-season, he finished sixth at Sepang, twelfth at Phillip Island and sixth at Losail. Certainly, but racing is another story. So much so that she ended up on the podium.
Vale laughs: “ If I had been fast during testing, I would have finished tenth at the Qatar Grand Prix. What a shame that would have been. In that sense, it's even better ". But he also specifies more seriously on speedweek : " I hope that we have better understood this bike and that we will suffer less on other routes. I understand things better during the race. Testing is different. And to be honest, I'm also quite old, and it's harder without the pressure and motivation of racing ».
A final sentence spoken this time without laughing. On what happens next with the new M1 chassis, he analyzes: “ we improved our sensations with the front. Maverick immediately felt good as soon as he sat on the Yamaha. He feels much better and can work much better. So he was always in front of me ».
« But the first time I really felt better was on Friday in Qatar. And from that moment on, we worked efficiently and intelligently ". See you on April 9 at Termas de Rio Honda.
