‘Pecco doesn’t need Marquez in the garage to show he’s the No.1’

Valentino Rossi on Ducati’s dominance, the Japanese decline, Bagnaia’s ability and how his opinion of Marquez will never change….

Valentino Rossi is now a BMW driver competing in the LMGT3 category of the FIA World Endurance Championship –but the VR46 team owner and Yamaha ambassador remains just as passionate about motorcycling as he always has. Whether it’s on the dirt of his MotoRanch or the asphalt of Misano or Mugello, every week Rossi organises training sessions for his VR46 Academy riders. “And Vale never lets the dogs have their way,” laughs Albi Tebaldi, the friend and manager of the nine-time world champion. You only have to spend 20 minutes with Rossi to realise that motorbikes are very much at the heart of his life.

MCN caught up with Valentino in Brazil, where he was competing in the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, to talk MotoGP, how Yamaha can get back to the top… and of course Marc Marquez getting a factory ride alongside Pecco on the Ducati.

20 years ago you joined Yamaha and gave them a title they’d not won since 1992. How did that feel?

“I’ve had quite a few successes in MotoGP, but this is by far the greatest. Winning my first race with the Yamaha M1 in South Africa on the opening day of the championship, taking the title at the end of the year… Even if other victories and titles followed, that 2004 season remains the high point of my career as a rider… at least for now. At least for the moment…”

‘That 2004 season remains the high point of my career as a rider’

Honda were dominant back then, how did you get Yamaha back on track?

“I’d say I arrived at Yamaha at the right time. Everything was ready for me, I was the one element that they were missing. Let’s not forget that Masao Furusawa had just taken over responsibility for the racing department. The guy was a genius. Another difference compared to what I experienced at Yamaha during the mid-2010s was that in 2004 there were no limits to what was possible. When I asked for a bit more torque under acceleration, two weeks later I had three new engines to test. During the last few years that I spent at Yamaha, this responsiveness no longer existed. In 2004, the Japanese listened to me religiously, they had total confidence in me. Ten years later, that was no longer the case. Their attitude was: ‘You just worry about the riding, we’ll take care of the rest. We’re the engineers, we’re the ones who know’.”

In 2001, you won Suzuka with Colin Edwards. Do bike and car endurance racing demand the same qualities?

“Yes, it’s quite similar. I like endurance racing because it’s a discipline that suits me quite well. I’ve always had a good pace in races, and I love riding. Spending time with my hands on the handlebars or steering wheel has always given me a lot of pleasure. I won the Suzuka 8 Hours a few years ago, but I remember it very well. Compared to what I’m experiencing today with BMW, it was more difficult because there were only two of us doing the stints. And riding a bike, especially at a track like Suzuka, is a lot more physical than doing lap after lap in a racing seat. Especially as there are three of us behind the wheel, which means there’s more rest time between stints. In any case, I still remember the Suzuka 8 Hours as a tough race, even though I was a lot younger at the time!”

Is the rider/driver involvement in development more interesting in bikes or car racing?

“Motorsport is more mathematical. It’s first and foremost a world of engineers. In a car, the driver is seated, strapped in, he doesn’t move. The engineers don’t really need him to understand what’s going on inside the car. Everything can be analysed live thanks to hundreds of sensors and telemetry. On a motorbike, however, all this is more complicated because the rider physically acts on his machine. He moves, shifts, modifies the weight distribution from one corner to the next… For me, the rider’s feeling is more important in the development and fine-tuning of a motorbike than in that of a car.”

‘Young riders who have been loyal to Ducati feel betrayed’

Have MotoGP aerodynamics changed this balance?

“Maybe a little, but we’re still a long way from what happens in cars. But we have to recognise that Ducati has shaken things up in this respect.”

How do you view the Yamaha MotoGP team’s current difficulties?

“It’s incomprehensible! How can Yamaha, but also Honda, have reached this point? How can these two manufacturers, who have always been present in Grand Prix racing, who have won everything, who have dominated for decades, now be crushed by Ducati, but also by Aprilia and KTM? You have to admit that Ducati has done a fantastic job, and for me Dall’Igna has made the difference. He set the standard very high, and I think the Japanese are finding it very difficult to keep up because they let themselves fall asleep.”

Do you think Fabio Quartararo can get back to winning in the short term?

“I can see that Yamaha’s desire to return to the forefront is not feigned. Nobody is giving up and things are being put in place to make up for lost time. The Japanese are reacting and looking for new skills in Europe because they want to be competitive again. How long will this take? It’s difficult to say.”

Does your brother Luca Marini regret leaving Ducati to join HRC?

“No, he was expecting a bit better, of course, but he’s positive and motivated. He is convinced that Honda will succeed, even if it takes longer than he imagined. At his age, you’re full of dreams.” [Laughs]

Even KTM are benefiting from Italian engineers. Why is Italy so dominant?

“It’s true that there are a lot of Italians… I don’t know… Maybe it comes from the passion we have for motorsports. Italy has a real tradition in this field. We also have very good universities that train engineers in different disciplines. On the other hand, when it comes to riders, we’re not as good as in Spain. Over there, there are a number of structures that enable young people to climb the ladder with excellent guidance and support. We do things, but not as well as the Spanish.”

Francesco Bagnaia is once again fighting for the title, does he impress you?

“On the one hand, yes… What he has achieved is indeed impressive. On the other hand, I know him well and I’ve always thought he was capable of performing at such a high level. I’ve never doubted his abilities on a MotoGP bike.”

Won’t the arrival of Marc Marquez in the factory team destabilise him next year?

“It could be difficult for him. To be honest, I didn’t really understand the whole story. I thought Jorge Martin would be in red next year. But Pecco is ready. He’s the reigning double MotoGP world champion, and this year he’s fighting again for a third crown. It will be interesting to see how this cohabitation goes. Apart from that, I don’t think that Pecco needed to find himself with Marquez around to show that he’s number one.”

Do you see this as a mistake on Ducati’s part?

[There’s a silence as Valentino gives this one some thought…] “The consequence of this choice is also Pramac’s move to Yamaha and the departure of Martin, Bastianini and Bezzecchi to the competition…

“Ducati had set up an interesting system, with a pyramid allowing young riders to progress and dream of one day joining the official team. That’s how Pecco climbed the steps up the ladder, and how Martin and Bezzecchi also hoped to get there. Then, all of a sudden, Ducati decided to put Marquez in red on the factory bike. It’s normal for young riders who have been loyal to the brand for years to feel betrayed… It’s normal for them to think that the choice of Marquez is a joke. So Martin, Bezzecchi and Bastianini have gone elsewhere.”

Marquez seems to be the only GP23 rider able to compete with Pecco and Martin on their GP24. Does that surprise you?

“I don’t know…”

Has your resentment towards Marquez faded with time?

“No. [Laughs] I have a very strong opinion of him, and I’ll never change it.”

VALE ON FOUR WHEELS

WEC CONTENDER

Valentino on rookie life… at the age of 45

So Valentino, are you satisfied with your debut in the WEC?

“This championship is a new experience for me. It’s interesting, but really different from the other races I take part in, such as the GT World Challenge. In WEC, there are two categories of car (Hypercars and LMGT3s). The differences in performance are very big and that complicates things a bit. In any case, the level is very high and there are some excellent drivers in this championship. For our part, we got the season off to a good start with two podiums in Qatar and Imola, but then we recorded two disappointing results, in Spa and Le Mans, and plummeted down the rankings. Le Mans was a real disappointment for me, as I had driven for two hours at the head of our class. Unfortunately, we had to retire during the night…

It was a big disappointment because the preparation for this race is very long. You have to spend a lot of days there, and it’s hard to swallow not going all the way when you have the means to achieve a good result.”

At 45, is the desire to learn and progress as strong as it was when you were racing in MotoGP?

“Yes, of course it is! Now I’m in a rather special situation. On the one hand I’m quite old, and on the other I’m still a rookie. But I’m having a great time. When I was a MotoGP rider, the idea of one day racing in a car was always in the back of my mind. So I’m delighted to be able to do it. I still love this lifestyle, and the car will have allowed me to enjoy it for a few more years. It’s a nice transition. Having said that, I think this season I’m doing a bit too much. I’m up to 18 races, plus the practice sessions, and the four or five MotoGPs that I attend… It’s a lot of stress, and I’m at home even less than when I was racing in MotoGP. I’m going to adapt my next calendar.”

And the family is growing…

“Yes, Francesca is pregnant with our second daughter! Well, I’d have liked to have had a boy, but I’m not complaining. I’m having the time of my life with Giulietta. I want to spend more time with her. Of course, I’d have liked the experience of having a son, I imagine it’s something else.”

You still have time…

“Yes, I still have time… But then, we’ll see what it’s like to live with two children.”