MotoGP, Razali: “Rossi will give Petronas stability, Morbidelli is an artist”

If you want to piss off Razlan Razali, tell him his team is a satellite or an independent one. “I hate these terms” he admits with a smile. After all, the Petronas team cannot be called a second division: they have a sponsor for whom everyone would die, and in two years they have put together a trophy case that others dream of. As if that weren’t enough, this year, alongside the once again confirmed (world champion runner-up) Franco Morbidelli, the living legend Valentino Rossi will be in the squad.

Razlan, how do you imagine the two drivers will live together?

“They have a long relationship and are friends, I think it will be easier for them than for other drivers. We definitely won’t have to put a wall in the garage (laughs) “.

The Petronas team aims to make young drivers grow, so why Rossi?

“In a normal season we would have rated other names besides Valentinos, but the pandemic has changed things. With Franco we will have a young and competitive driver, while Rossi will bring us stability and results. We made an exception for him “.

How did Valentino affect you?

“In 2020 there was unfortunately no opportunity to get to know each other or to have dinner together, we only talked in meetings. I don’t yet know him personally, but there will be an opportunity this year “.

Rossi is used to a factory team, what kind of environment will he find in Petronas?

“I think we have a different approach, we have a good balance between people with a lot of experience in MotoGP, like Forcada and Zeelenberg, and others who have less, like me. We listen to the drivers’ requests and try to help them. If we don’t like something, we tell Yamaha directly and ask what our drivers need.

Valentino only has a one-year contract, will there be an option to extend it?

“As with all drivers, the first 5 or 6 races of the year will be decisive. Rossi is a very experienced driver and he also uses the races to evaluate his performance. Apart from that, the contract runs for one year, because our contract with Yamaha, but also with Petronas, expires at the end of the season and we could not have been committed any longer.

At Morbidelli, however, you signed for two years directly as a team …

“At the beginning of last year all the attention was paid to Quartararo and Franco less. But he worked a lot over the winter and became very strong. We started thinking about our future in July when the championship started. At Jerez Morbidelli had a technical problem and Fabio was more constant, however We couldn’t wait and risk someone taking Franco away from us. Continuity is important to us, so we decided to sign with him directly for two years.

What kind of driver is Morbidelli?

“Franco is an artist because of the way he speaks, the way he behaves. He’s like a painter or a musician, but on a bike. I really like his attention to diversity, he’s a great person but like all drivers he’s aggressive on the track.

He’s also runner-up, will he feel the pressure this year?

“Franco has already won a title in Moto2, he has the experience to deal with that kind of pressure and he is more mature than other riders like Quartararo. Which he did last year after being in the shadow of Fabio, the one Rookie in 2019, allowed him to move up a level. Franco knows that nothing is impossible and we believe he can fight for the championship.

But he’ll have to do it with a less advanced bike …

“We all know Franco is a competitive rider, including Yamaha. Only contractual and economic reasons did not allow him to have an official motorcycle. In any case it will have some developments, we will know which ones in Qatar, and already last year it received some updates ”.

Won’t he start at a disadvantage?

“In 2020 Yamaha brought a completely new motorcycle that won 4 races with Quartararo and Vinales. However, the lack of testing prevented development. I’m sure the 2020 M1 will be more competitive this year, but I also know Franco will be more comfortable on the 2019, which he’ll be driving for the third year. “

The contract between the team and Yamaha expires at the end of the year, how is the extension going?

“We started discussing the extension with Yamaha since December last year. I already have the first draft proposal for the next five years from Yamaha. We hope that we can finish everything in May or June this year. “

So you are not afraid that Valentino and his team could “steal” the M1?

“As for Valentino’s potential new team, I don’t really want to comment.”

But rumor has it that other manufacturers have knocked on your door too, like Suzuki …

“I would not deny that when other manufacturers come to us and want to talk to us, we listen, our door is always open to listen and check all possibilities. Our final decision about the selection of a manufacturer also depends on the wishes of our title partner.

What if VR46 suggests a collaboration?

“I repeat, we don’t close doors, we don’t rule out opportunities, even if Petronas has the final say on certain decisions. If they come to speak to us, we will listen to them. “

Has Yamaha accepted your requirements in the new contract?

“We were pleased that Yamaha recognized our work in developing riders and told us that they wanted to get more involved. We start with the youngsters in the Asian and Japanese championships, then we bring them into Moto3 and Moto2. On the other hand, we asked Yamaha to provide us with updates on the motorcycles more quickly. “

Now that Hamilton and Rossi have the same sponsor, can we expect any joint events?

“That would certainly be nice, but with an ongoing pandemic it’s not that easy. Anyway, meIt’s not our team’s job to think about how to capitalize on Valentino’s popularity, the results on the track are important to us. “

Also in Moto2 and Moto3, what are the goals in these classes?

“In Moto2 we expect a lot from Vierge and Dixon, the minimum goal is to get our first podium in this class and then repeat the result regularly. In Moto3 we will have two riders with McPhee and Darryn Binder in their last year in this category, so it is in our interest to do well: on paper we can fight for the title.