What’s wrong with Valentino Rossi? The 42-year-old racer can’t seem to accept the fact that the golden age in MotoGP is over. In fact it ended more than a decade ago.
It should be noted that there is no denying that Rossi is one, even considered the greatest, in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The collection of nine world titles and a number of records is valid proof of this title.
But Rossi’s decision to delay his decision to retire in MotoGP actually damaged the big name that The Doctor had painstakingly built since making his Grand Prix debut in 1996.
Rossi may have forgotten that the theory of evolution also applies to sports. Every MotoGP era always appears the protagonist racer. Rossi has been that figure, especially from 2000 to 2009 when he won seven MotoGP titles.
Rossi has indeed been runner-up throughout 2014-2016, and was unlucky to lose to Jorge Lorenzo in the race for the world title in MotoGP 2015, but the rest Rossi never really fought.
Casey Stoner had said he believed Rossi would still be world champion if the current MotoGP motorcycles did not rely on electronic devices. But, therein lies the problem. The MotoGP era has changed along with technological advances. Rossi was not able to adapt.
Rossi could have raced in MotoGP until he was 50. But, what’s the point if he can only finish in 14th, 16th, 17th position or occasionally enter the top ten? The incision will only make The Doctor a joke for other racers and MotoGP fans.
Rossi is currently at his lowest point in MotoGP. The failure to finish in the Dutch MotoGP in the last race of the first half of the 2021 MotoGP made the 42-year-old racer even worse off. A trend that has actually occurred since the 2019 season.
Rossi is a rider who holds a number of extraordinary records in MotoGP. This season a new record was also created by Rossi, but unfortunately what was created was a negative record.
At the Doha MotoGP, Rossi won the worst qualifying result in his career in MotoGP after starting from 21st position. At that time Rossi finished 16th at the Losail Circuit.
Last Rossi created a new negative record after the Dutch MotoGP. For the first time in his career in MotoGP, Rossi was only able to reach 17 points from nine races at the start of the season.
After finishing fourth at the San Marino MotoGP last season, Rossi was only able to reach 25 points from 15 races. Finishing tenth in the Italian MotoGP this season is Rossi’s best achievement in the last 15 races.
For a Rossi who has a lot of experience and extraordinary achievements in MotoGP, only getting 25 points in 15 races is a very bad result. A result that does not reflect the big name Rossi.
Then what’s up with Valentino Rossi? The answer is of course Rossi has not been able to accept the fact that his career in MotoGP is over.
In other words Rossi retired late from MotoGP. Rossi should have retired a few seasons ago, instead of making excuses.
It’s too sad for us to see Rossi push himself in MotoGP for a result that is not worth it.
Rossi’s slump in MotoGP cannot be called an unlucky situation. Because this negative trend has occurred since 2019. Rossi’s performance graph has continued to decline since 2019 and reached its lowest point in the middle of this season.
Since the 2019 season Rossi has always blamed the Michelin rear tire that does not match the Yamaha M1 he is riding. The reason then became strange when he saw a number of other Yamaha riders were able to perform quickly.
Franco Morbidelli, who also complained about the performance of the Petronas Yamaha motorcycle, was able to show improvement by reaching the third podium in the Spain MotoGP.
Even though it eventually slumped, it should be remembered that Morbidelli did not use a Yamaha factory racer spec motorcycle as Rossi also used.
Maverick Vinales managed to win in the Qatar MotoGP and finished second in the Dutch MotoGP. Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo has won four wins this season and leads the 2021 MotoGP standings.
Now Rossi is at a crossroads. The former Ducati racer admitted that he would decide his future in MotoGP during the half-season break. If Rossi decides to continue appearing in MotoGP next season, then that decision is difficult to digest.
Even though Rossi later decided to race for the Aramco VR46, the decision still didn’t make sense. Rather than just being a gimmick to improve the team’s brand in MotoGP 2021, it’s better for Rossi to give younger riders the opportunity. Rossi does not need to enter the race to increase the prestige of the Aramco VR46, just be present at every race as a team owner.
Right now we are just waiting on what decision Rossi will take. Hopefully this decision will be taken by Rossi by looking at the reality.
