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Seventeenth place almost a second and a half away from the provisional poleman, Marc Marquez. The first day of testing at the Austin GP was not much fun for Valentino Rossi who continues to have more difficulties than the other Yamaha riders.
And we are not just talking about Fabio Quartararo who in any case set the third best time, but also of newcomer Andrea Dovizioso who with the ex-Morbidelli Yamaha contained the gap in just under a second, realizing fourteenth quickest time in front of Morbido.
“It was not a good day for us, we were slow, especially in the wet - admitted Rossi - We have no grip when accelerating in those conditions. In dry conditions it's a bit better, but I'm not fast, I suffer on the bumps, the conditions are critical. I have to improve my pace. The forecasts today were bad, but in the end we hope that we will have the sun on Sunday ”.
What do all these difficulties depend on?
“The track is great and I like it, the other riders like it too, but there are too many bumps. Usually in America it is like this, but we have told them a hundred times that the asphalt should be redone. Turns 2, 3, 4, 10, are terrible. They actually improved turn 18 and in the backstraight, the second straight, but the rest of the track conditions are worse than in 2018 ”.
The asphalt doesn't help either…
“The three types of asphalt, because there are three and each has its own level of grip. Especially in the wet it is difficult to evaluate it because the feeling is different between the old and the new, but the problem is still the bumps ”.
The motorbikes sway like wild horses… after all we are in Texas.
“Austin is a very tiring track, because there are so many changes of direction, it's hot, physically it's tough because you have to hold the bike very hard to hold it. Shorten the race? In the afternoon there will be a lot of riders in the safety Commission, because many are complaining. Of course with fewer laps it would be physically fewer problems. But I don't know if it will be possible to shorten the race ”.
Apart from the asphalt and the bumps, what is the main characteristic of this circuit?
“This is a track with a lot of slope changes, and it's not natural, that is, the terrain didn't have these slopes, it was completely computer created, so the ups and downs were man-made (and this explains the 'bumps': the clay soil has subsided, ed.). Now the fact is that motorbikes and cars need very smooth tracks. And of course where F1 runs, as is the case in Austin, the asphalt situation is worse, because the cars have big tyres, a lot of grip and when they pass they ruin the asphalt. I don't know how the situation can be resolved. Building separate motorcycle tracks for cars? I don't think it's possible because many tracks want to host both categories”.
One last thing: you look exhausted. We have never seen you so consistently behind, at the bottom of the pack. What happened to you?
“We are trying to do everything. I am slower. In 2019 I fought for the win against Rins here. I was riding much better. Now I find it hard to go the same as in the past years. I have more difficulties with the bike and, of course, in the recent past I was doing the corners faster … ”.
Vale, won't you be like Schumacher who retired when he got tired and then came back?
“Like Schumacher? No, no: I’ve just tried to race as long as possible. I don't think I'll be back ".
