Valentino Rossi enjoyed the VR46 Racing Team’s success in Barcelona thanks to an by Fabio Di Giannantonio's extraordinary performance, but the weekend in Catalonia also brought back some decidedly less pleasant memories for The Doctor.
Rossi was present on the track during the falls that sent shivers through the paddock, and he admitted to reliving feelings he had experienced during the terrible accident in Austria in 2020, when Johann Zarco's and Franco Morbidelli’s bikes grazed his Yamaha at over 300 km/h on the downhill straight at the Red Bull Ring.
“Mamma mia, what a scare. That was a bad one,” Vale told Sky Italia in an interview after the Barcelona race, explaining that he had seen everything up close. And that accident reminded him exactly of what happened to him four years ago, described by Rossi as the scariest moment of his career.
The nine-time world champion then praised Fabio Di Giannantonio's reaction, after he delivered an extraordinary performance despite the tension on the track. “Diggia was unbelievable. He had an incredible race, with no mistakes, and an impressive pace in the final stages.”
Rossi also touched on the mental aspect a rider faces after such violent falls. “In the end, you don’t have much choice. You can’t pull into the pits and say, ‘I’m scared, I’m not racing anymore', even if maybe you should," he said jokingly.
Rossi relives Austria 2020 nightmare: “That was scary", then applauds Di Giannantonio
The Doctor compared the accident in Barcelona to what he experienced at the Red Bull Ring in 2020, when he narrowly avoided a tragedy involving Zarco and Morbidelli. He then praised Diggia: “He was unbelievable.”
Paolo Scalera
Leila Myftija