In an interview published on Friday of last week, with the French Grand Prix already underway, the owner of the re-founded satellite team of Yamaha RNF MotoGP Racing, the Malaysian Razlan Razali , showed his disappointment at the lack of results for Andrea Dovizioso.
“Dovizioso reminds me of Rossi, he acts as an engineer and forgets to drive”, said Razali, who last season had to ‘carry’ with the imposition of the #46 and this year with that of Dovi, to whom Yamaha pays the salary and all the material, but not the technical equipment and other expenses that are borne by the RNF budget.
On the same Friday, at the end of the first day of practice at Le Mans, Motorsport.com was able to speak with the veteran driver from Forli, who accepted the question about Razali’s statements with a smile.
“Honestly, at the moment it’s not a problem for me. I don’t care,” said #04.
However, the 36-year-old runner jumped at the opportunity to put the Malaysian in his place.
“I still don’t know Razali very well. In my opinion he is a good person and he doesn’t know the paddock very well yet, so he doesn’t know how to behave very well, but he is a good person and we get along very well,” he emphasized his response.
Among other daring reflections, Razali assured that “I find similarities between Dovi and Valentino Rossi last year, both not only want to be riders but also engineers and they forget to be riders and to ride the bike as it is”, urging the rider to to stop stories and give the gas.
“I have no problem with that statement,” Dovi said. “A few years ago he already made some strange statements, but in my opinion it’s only because he doesn’t have much experience in the world of motorcycles,” the Italian stoked Razali, who appeared in the MotoGP paddock with the SRT team in the World Championship. 2015, in Moto3, before growing to Moto2 in 2017 and expanding to MotoGP in 2018, having previously been director of the Sepang Circuit and well-versed in the championship for more than a decade.
Dovizioso, who made his debut in the 125cc world championship in 2001, before smartphones were invented, has no interest in picking a matchup with Razali.
“[His statements] are not a problem at all. It is his point of view and his way of describing things, but it is not a problem, I do not care,” he maintains.
“We are focused on the technical part, on trying to be as competitive as possible. I talk to the engineers and technicians to try to improve and he [Razali] is more on the management side. On the technical side, he is not as involved”, the three-time MotoGP runner-up settles the issue, who has no intention of changing his analytical vision in the box.
“No, that’s the thing! [laughs] I’m very analytical and I don’t see myself being different. In the end, we’re talking about nothing,” settled forlivesi .
Andrea Dovizioso, RNF Racing, and Razlan Razali, first from left