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During the inaugural press conference in Thailand, Valentino Rossi's face says it all . It's difficult for him to have any real expectations at Buriram, a track that blends long straights with slow corners, a particularly tough combination for the Yamaha.
“On paper, it's difficult because it's clearly not a fantastic track for the M1, but I'll try” he says. "Our tests were not great over the winter, and we're having a tough time of it right now so we need to stay focused”.
Not the words of a rider who started the season with the intention of fighting for the title. He's found himself struggling to even compete for a race win. In recent months, the Doctor got angry, beating his fists on the table, but he hasn't had the answers he was looking for from Iwata.
No-one is saying that the M1 is past it, but if the bike hasn't won for 23 races (an absolute negative record in the category and one that no-one is proud of) it can only mean that something is not right. And Rossi has to open his eyes to the possibility that he won't reach the top step of the podium at all this season.
Something that hasn't happened since his Ducati days, a marriage as attractive on paper as it was terrible on the track. Yamaha is something else: the anchor with which to get back to winning ways, the companion for whom he has declared undying love until the day he retires.
When Valentino signed a contract tying himself to the Yamaha until 2020, he never thought it would be 'her' to leave him. "Would I still have signed if I'd known about the difficulties? There's no point asking, what's done is done ”. While he cannot change the past, even the future is looking foggy... Carrying on like this for another two years would send anyone into crisis, let along a rider like the Doctor.
“We can still fight for third in the championship, a good result considering the speed we've shown. I'm 29 points ahead of Vinales, but also Lorenzo, and right now Jorge is very strong. It will be tough to hold onto this position, I have to try and see what happens."
Trying to find motivation right now must be like trying to get blood out of a stone. Rossi has been able to hang on until now, but when will he get tired of it all?
Yamaha has proved it wanted him, keeping him for another two years, but the outlook was very different back then. The risk is that sooner or later the Doctor will lose his patience, because in his eyes racing means enjoying himself and enjoying himself meaning winning, or at least trying to.
“The heat and the rain could be a problem, we hope for a dry race” not the words you want to hear from Valentino, the undisputed champion of communication, prior to a race.
