After a poor form at pre-season and a volte-face that he has the secret in the Qatar Grand Prix, Valentino Rossi is now entering the Argentine Grand Prix with the will to confirm his presence among the riders for the world title.
To do this, it will be important not to lose big points against opponents such as Marquez and also his team-mate Maverick Vinales as Rossi said in a press conference, he hope able to adapt more quickly to the new M1.
“I know that Michelin brought a front tire with an older, more rigid carcass,” Rossi told media. “When I told them about my problems with the new tire, they told me I was the only one to meet them, maybe that was not the case. But it will be interesting to try them out and see if they give me better sensations.”
“The task done during the race, weekend is always different from the task done during the tests, but it is my fault. It took me more time than Maverick to understand the new bike, but now it works well and we have reached a good level. Here, I will try to start from the task done in Qatar. During this first weekend, I think I have greatly improved and the race was a surprise even for us. It was really not bad. Staring the season with a podium was important especially as the firs two did not have much advance.”
“As I said, in Qatar GP we have taken a good step forward but some problems remain. I hope we will solve them but I know sorted also that every track is different and I have to try to be competitive from the first practice session.” the Italian added.
Two Movistar Yamaha riders prove they are dangerous in this season. (Source:www.motosport.com)
In the opening day in Argentina, Rossi slipped back down the MotoGP order to 16th place with +1.054s. Hoped he is trying to improve in FP3 and avoid a visit to Qualifying 1.
“It will be important to try to come in the top ten tomorrow morning (Saturday), but it’s not easy because many riders are fast and the top 15 is covered by less than one second. So, we need to gain maximum, we build the right tyre choice and after wee see. We hope for good weather because if it rains all day the track will be dirty.”Rossi closed his press conference.