The Petronas SRT Yamaha rider had to complete the Q1 session tonight and couldn’t make an impression after admitting after Friday that he wasn’t “strong enough” to fight for a top result.
In the end, Rossi only managed a time of 1: 54.881 minutes, about 1.7 seconds slower than his GP lap in Qatar, which put him in fourth place on the grid, and 1.7 seconds behind rookie pole sitter Jorge Martin on the Pramac Ducati .
That means Rossi will compete in 21st place for Sunday’s race – his worst Saturday result in MotoGP to date.
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Rossi explained what went wrong on Saturday: “Very difficult today because I was never strong. We tried to improve the driving experience with the bike, with the rear end, but I suffered a lot.
“I have a lack of grip when accelerating and after a few laps anyway… I suffer a lot and my pace is not good. In addition, in qualifying with the new tire I never have the feeling that I am fast enough.
“Last week I was good with the new tires and so we tried to improve their lifespan, but unfortunately I’m not fast enough. [It] will be difficult, I have to start from the back. We have to understand and we will see. “
Rossi’s performance is in stark contrast to that of his Yamaha stable-mates, with Maverick Vinales completing the front row on the same M1 in 2021 as the Italian, while Fabio Quartararo fifth and Franco Morbidelli 10.
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Rossi admits he’s “in trouble” with his racing pace and just hopes he won’t get thrown too far ahead of him at Sunday’s Doha GP.
“It’s difficult for tomorrow because I’m starting at the back, but I have big problems with the pace, the pace is not fast enough,” he added. “So I have to try to stay up front in the group of guys.
“There was a long line last week, so everyone is more or less in line, so [we] don’t have much difference between the group. So try to stay with them and see. “