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After the early laps of the Mugello race, it seemed like Valentino’s physical problems had disappeared. The Doctor has started on the attack and cheers exploded from the stands every time he passed. However, after a few laps he had to slow his pace a bit and, despite the fact that he stayed close to the leading trio to the end, he was unable to attempt an attack.
“It is really a pity not to finish on the podium. That is always a goal, but here at Mugello it would have been more important - he says regretfully - I was rather confident, but inside myself I knew that it would be difficult to manage the 23 laps of the race physically. It is one thing to lap in practice, when you can recover between one outing and another, but it’s another thing to do all those laps in a row.”
That is what happened.
“After 8 laps I was finished and by the finale I was not strong enough to attack Petrucci. However, if I think about the fact that I risked not racing at all, in the end it went well” he tries to see the glass half full.
It was not the only positive note, because the 2017 M1 seems to have rediscovered the right path.
“The bike works well and from Saturday morning I was fast. The Ducatis also did very well and they were able to use the medium tyre on the rear, which was not possible for us - he explained- The problem for me was not the bike, but my physical conditions.”
Which cost him the podium.
“At least Danilo was the one who beat me and he’s a friend, but he could have beaten somebody else - Valentino jokes - Actually we could have had an all-Italian podium today, but in the race I was not lucid enough to think about it. I was just hoping to be one of the guys on that podium. Maybe if I had succeeded the celebration would have been more complete.”
However, Rossi had reasons to celebrate.
“I am proud and happy for Migno. I won’t say that I cried, but he moved me, as does his dedication in training, even if he is considered to be a rider with less talent than others - he complimented the pupil - Pasini, on the other hand, rode a race that every rider dreams about. What more could you want than to overtake your rivals on the last lap at Casanova-Savelli? Mattia deserved this win. Many had given him up for done. I am also happy for Dovi.”
Regrets aside, the past cannot be changed, but the future can be built. Rossi will have a few days to do so before arriving in Barcelona.
“For my conditions, it would have been better to take a week off, but given the recent improvements, these will be important days to recover - he said - We'll see how the bike performs on that track that has poor grip. That is an aspect that concerns me a bit.”
