In a week's time, the Qatar Grand Prix will be in full swing and the 2020 MotoGP season will have launched. It is on this occasion that the masks will fall. Will the new Michelin tire have redistributed the cards, will Ducati pull one last novelty out of its hat, will Suzuki and Yamaha confirm the good arrangements seen during the tests, and the Marc Márquez–Honda duo is- Is he really in crisis? Valentino Rossi also expects these answers, and also for himself. Because of all the drivers equipped with an M1, he seemed the least comfortable. And yet, he does not deny being faster than a year ago…
Furthermore, the same Valentino Rossi also wants certainty about his ability to pursue a career at the highest level of motorcycle racing. So, what state of mind is he in during this weapons vigil? Eager to fight it out, because he went over everything in his preparation with small onions: “ we were faster in Doha on the second day than the first, so the tire suffered more ", Explain Red regarding the pronounced wear of its rear rubber “ Then we tried a few things, but we didn't make much progress with the test in Qatar. But the Grand Prix weekend will be a completely different story. We are ready to begin. We tried everything. Now it's time for the first real showdown »
Valentino Rossi do not forget in your off-season report the good work accomplished by Michelin : " this new rear tire helps everyone when i look at lap times and pace. Because all the teams and all the drivers are going faster than last year. The new rear tire is definitely helpful for Yamaha as it has more grip on the edge of the tire. And we ride more on the edge of the tire than our opponents because we need speed in the corners to be able to keep up with the fast V4 machines. It's important for our motorcycle. Since we first tried this new tire we have significantly improved pace and lap times »
« Michelin did a good job. This is very important and very rewarding, because very often it happens with standard tires that the supplier stops development. This has sometimes happened in the past, including at Bridgestone. It's interesting for us and for the whole MotoGP series » assures Vale on speedweek.
Red hasn't won a Grand Prix since Assen in 2017 and hasn't made a real breakthrough in the six days of testing in 2020. Is this offseason enough for him to fight for a podium at the Qatar Grand Prix ? " I think we have had enough testing days, add the four days in November. During the first tests in November we couldn't do a good job, so we first had to sort out all the new parts and set the direction for 2020. Then there was the two-month test break. We already had a clearer idea at Sepang. Since Sepang we have tried everything available to us. So we are ready for the start of the season. »
« We're not strong enough, but we're ready ", summary Red, who is entering his 15th MotoGP season with Yamaha. “ We will know our potential in a few days. » It will be recalled that the 41-year-old driver finished fifth in the Sepang test, then twelfth in the general classification in Qatar a week ago. He lost 0,474 seconds per lap on his teammate Maverick Vinales, author of the best time.
