Valentino Rossi had high hopes for the Assen weekend. Despite a few weaknesses, he was never far from the best and a good race seemed to be within reach. Instead, everything went wrong from the start and a crash ended things for good. All of this was just before the summer break, during which he will decide his future.
“It was a shame because my pace wasn’t bad – says the doctor – unfortunately I had a bad start because we made some changes to the bike at the start and I didn’t feel comfortable, like at the Sachsenring. So I found myself way back and tried to overtake, but if you follow another bike the front tire has problems and you lose grip. I had just overtaken Bastianini, I tried to push and fell.
The cause?
“I lost the front, we looked at the data, but we didn’t really understand why. In the end I was lucky, it was just a fall but at high speed and I didn’t get injured.”
Will this result influence your decision about your future?
“It’s not just about today. I knew it was going to be a tough year, a big challenge, but as I’ve always said, my decision depends on the results and they weren’t what I expected, that doesn’t help.
Vinales said he wasn’t sure he will stay with Yamaha in 2022. Could this have an impact?
“It seems that there might be some changes that we didn’t expect, but nothing changes for me because my decision is tied to results. What happens to the other riders at Yamaha won’t make any difference to me ”.
Aramco sponsorship for your team was questioned yesterday, what can you tell us?
“That we do everything in good faith and personally I have spoken to the prince 8 times. The last time was Thursday, he told me he was very happy and everything was fine. With such an important sponsorship, however, there is always someone who wants the money for himself, who is not happy (laughs). I hope the prince has told me the truth, I am a person who tends to trust. That is everything I know “.
What do you think of the sentence for Bagnaia? Her overtaking maneuver against Stoner in Laguna Seca would have been sanctioned under these rules.
“The rules have changed because the situation and overtaking are now more extreme than in 2008. The tracks are also different, they have removed the grass on the outside of the corners and replaced it with green asphalt, that’s a safety factor.” Now it’s less dangerous but you need a rule otherwise everyone would ignore it, it was a shame for Bagnaia but if he was punished it was because he crossed the line 4 times, I think the problem was with him that he struggled a lot at Turn 12.