MotoGP, Rossi is certain: "I'll be ready on Sunday"

The spotlights are about to be switched on and Valentino Rossi wants #46 to shine bright under the Qatari night sky. Two years ago, he was the winner, after a spectacular head to head with Dovizioso. Now the bar is raised even higher though, as there's another contender for the crown, or rather Maverick Vinales.

Despite a tricky pre-season, the nine-time champion is confident: “I'm very keen for the championship to start – he stated – it's been a challenging winter, stimulating, I need to get back to racing. The bike has improved a lot during the pre-season - added the Doctor – we'll strive to be competitive at this inaugural race".

The weather remains an unknown, but Valentino doesn't seem worried: “We'll see what conditions are like and then work to find the best set-up – he concluded– I'm sure that together with the team I'll be ready for Sunday”.

It is Maverick Vinales who starts as favourite, having dominating testing from start to finish: “I'm really pleased that the first Grand Prix has arrived– he commented - especially after winter testing which proved to be positive. I have the right motivation and can't wait to take on these eighteen rounds”.

He made his presence felt in testing, but now he needs to do the same in the race: “This is what I'm most curious about – concluded Vinales – we'll see if the Yamaha can be competitive this weekend after what we've done during the pre-season”.