Rossi: Vinales, Yamaha split won't change 2022 decision
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Valentino Rossi’s final race before the MotoGP summer break, and a decision on his racing future, ended in more disappointment.The Petronas Yamaha rider looked in with a fighting chance of at least beating his season-best of tenth place, qualifying twelfth for the Dutch TT and feeling optimistic of a ‘decent’ race.”300x1But a nightmare start left the Italian 22nd and last into Turn 1, with any hopes of a recovery then ending when he ed at high-speed from 17th on lap 8 of 26.”It’s a great shame because our pace was not too bad,” Rossi said after his third DNF of the season. “I have quite good potential, so we expected a decent race. But unfortunately, I did a bad start because we changed something for the start.Related ArticlesaccImages.createImage(); Official: Maverick Vinales to leave Yamaha at end of 2021accImages.createImage(); 2021 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, Assen – Race Results”I had to change my way to start and so I don’t feel very comfortable. Like in Sachsenring, I did a bad start. After, I was far behind but I tried to make some overtaking.”Unfortunately, when you stay behind the other bikes, the front tyre has some problems [overheats]. You feel a little bit less grip. I was able to overtake Bastianini and I tried to push, but unfortunately I lost the front in turn seven.Related ArticlesaccImages.createImage(); 2021 FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, Assen – Race ResultsaccImages.createImage(); Assen: New 2021 MotoGP World Championship standings”We checked the data. We don’t understand very well, but I’m lucky because it was just a slide but it was high-speed and I’m okay. So, this is important.”But a fifth non-score of the season means Rossi goes into the summer break just 19th in the world championship.”I always said that I know that this year is difficult, is a great challenge,” reflected Rossi, who moved from the Factory Yamaha team to Petronas in 2021.”4″But my decision for next year depends very much from the results. So, the results of the first half of the season are not what we expect. We hope to be stronger, to fight for the better positions, so the result doesn’t help us.”I said from the beginning of the season that I would decide in the next week about next year, and it will be like this. I will let you know when I decide.”The 42-year-old added that his decision would not be influenced by the shock news that Maverick Vinales is to leave the official team at the end of this season, meaning Yamaha already needs to find one new rider for 2022.”5″I don’t know very well, but maybe something will change that we don’t expect,” Rossi said of Sunday’s Vinales rumours, which were officially confirmed on Monday.”But for me, it doesn’t change my decision because my decision is correlated to the results. So, what happens with the other team or with the Yamahas for me is not a big deal.”googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(“2While the results needed to satisfy Rossi surely haven’t been met, Aramco – title sponsor of his new VR46 Ducati MotoGP project – has made clear they would like the nine-time world champion to join Luca Marini on a Ducati in 2022.”6Rossi said that would be ‘very difficult’ at present but might the newly available Vinales, assumed to be on his way to Aprilia, now be another high-profile VR46 candidate?
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