Yamaha are concerned they could lose Valentino Rossi to Formula One after the MotoGP world champion clocked good times in tests this week for Ferrari.
“I have to be worried about these excellent times because Valentino really could get the desire to change sport,” Yamaha team manager Davide Brivio said. Times of India
Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi admitted he was delighted after setting a stunning lap time of 1min 21.900sec during testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona on Thursday.
Rossi was taking part in his second day of testing with the Ferrari F2008, the same car with which 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen set the circuit’s lap record in 2008.
That was a time of 1:21.670, just over a couple of tenths faster than Rossi’s penultimate lap. AFP
“Today we hoped to run in the dry, but we had to fit wet tyres again this morning,” he said, before commenting on his performance later in the day. “I was faster than yesterday despite some problems with under-steering.”
He continued: “I haven’t driven an F1 car for a year, but today we worked on the setting. It’s always interesting to go a little further than just driving. I think it’s nice for Italian fans to see me driving a Ferrari. On the other hand, I must say that Montmeló is even more fun than Mugello.”
Turning his attention to his future on two wheels, Rossi spoke about a possible renewal of his contract with Yamaha: “It’s a special situation because the four fastest riders in the World Championship are in the final year of their contracts. Personally, I’ll think about it around June and may have decided by then.”
He concluded: “I’m happy with Yamaha, so I want to talk with them before anyone else.” MotoGP
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