The Italian rider was not very successful at the start of his last MotoGP grand prix, finishing last in the two practices on Friday held in wet and mixed conditions. However, this Saturday the sun shone brightly over the Cheste circuit, and Valentino Rossi took a step forward.
In the morning, in FP3, he set the tenth fastest time and managed to qualify directly for Q2, something he hadn’t achieved since August at Silverstone . This was helped by Pecco Bagnaia, who offered him his wheel. The Academy rider served him as a reference again in Q2, where Rossi again closed the top 10.
“Pecco helped me in qualifying, but we didn’t expect it. I started behind him and when he saw me, he kept pushing. I have to thank him, because he allowed me to improve my time”, Il dottore summed up.
“It was a great Saturday for us. From FP3 I improved my feeling with the bike and in the end I was able to get into the top 10 and go directly to Q2. This changes everything for the rest of the weekend. Even FP4 was not badly and we tried different tyres. In Q2 I was able to improve my time and confirm my top 10. I’m also very close to the best Yamaha . Apart from the emotional aspect, it’s important for me to get a good result and today we did it.”
(Before reading on, click on this link or the image to see all the photos of Valentino Rossi at the 2021 MotoGP Valencia GP)
The Ducati rider crashed while looking for pole, which prevented Rossi from improving any further.
“For me it was already over. The good lap was the first one on the rear tyre, and on the second, I had already lost something. I think maybe I could have done a little better, but this is more or less my potential,” he said.
The #46 was asked if the change from Friday to Saturday was due to the fact that he had not ridden much the first day, in reference to the fact that due to his age he could be physically fresher.
“I don’t think so, honestly. I’ve trained very well in the second half of the season and I think I’ve gotten into good form. In the last few races I’ve felt good from a physical point of view. Yesterday there were mixed conditions similar to those of Misano . And when you have to ride slicks on a wet track it depends more on what you want to risk than on your ability. At 42 years old it is much more difficult than at 20. It is more a matter of balls than physicality (laughs).” , settled.
