The Petronas SRT rider made real progress on his Yamaha in Barcelona after a difficult start into 2021, with Rossi making it into Q2 for only the third time this season.
Despite leaving 11th on the grid after a crash, Rossi was confident that he would put in a strong performance in the race. But his choice of the hard rear tire – which he was convinced of after the warm-up – did not work in the race and he immediately lost six tenths per lap.
His struggle for grip on the rear wheel resulted in his tire developing a vibration that resulted in his crash at Turn 10 on lap 17 of 24.
Also read:
Valentino Rossi, Petronas Yamaha SRT
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Yes, it’s a very negative race for me because we expected a lot more because I had good pace since yesterday morning,” said Rossi after the race on Sunday. “Yesterday afternoon in FP4 we tried everything and I feel good, I was quick even after a few laps.
“So we decided to use the hard rear end this morning to dispel any doubts as it was cold this morning. And I didn’t feel that bad, I feel good and my pace was good.
“So we’re driving with the hard rear end, also because the conditions this afternoon were exactly the same as yesterday afternoon. But unfortunately I didn’t feel good from the first lap, I didn’t have any grip in the back.
“Looks like today’s hard tire was worse than yesterday and this morning and I lost 0.6 seconds per lap and was very slow. In the end I fell too, because when the tire slipped like that, the tire vibrated and I fell at Turn 10.
“We expected a lot more because the pace in training wasn’t that bad, so it’s a shame.”
Team-mate Franco Morbidelli also had problems on the hard rear tire, while the Italian, who was struggling for victory due to his training pace, fell behind in ninth place in the race.
“I think I got everything out of the package,” he said. “When I check last year’s race, the time is basically the same, it’s just a second slower.
“Well, I think I basically took everything out of the package. I don’t think I could do more in this race. “