MotoGP: Rossi and Lorenzo make amends?

While their relationship as teammates has been acrimonious at best over the past few years, both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo took the time on Sunday evening to come together and make something of a reconciliation after a bitter few years together, as the Spaniard makes the move to Ducati for next season.

Speaking to MCN after the race, Yamaha boss Lin Jarvis says that the move, which came about naturally in the garage, was nice to witness after a hard time managing the pair over the years.

“We celebrated at the end of the day and had a team affair in the garage. Jorge won the race, and we celebrated that, his departure, and winning the team prize, which they both participated in winning.

“There was a very nice moment in the garage where they were together, not staged at all but just naturally. We were putting together a photo, and the two of them came together, chatted with each other, laughed with each other, and shook hands.”

But while they might have buried the hatchet on Sunday evening, the man who has dealt with the pair and the ensuring tension for the past decade says it’s unlikely to mark a complete transformation in their relationship going forward.

“Not being teammates next year won’t improve their relationship too much, either for the positive or for the negative. They’re both intensely competitive riders, their history is what gives them their stance, and that history remains the same regardless of red or blue. They respect each other as well though, but respect is not the same as friendship.”