Valentino Rossi has rejected bitter rival Marc Marquez’s assessment of his motivations for continuing to race in MotoGP during 2021.
After Marquez again intimated that he wouldn’t race on in MotoGP past his peak as Rossi has, Rossi dropped one of his most open hints yet that he was strongly considering retiring by admitting he had expected to be far more competitive this year and denying Marquez’s assertion that he’s just there for his own amusement.
Rossi has struggled since the middle of the 2020 MotoGP season, crashing out of a series of races before contracting COVID-19.
His results haven’t improved since he moved from the factory Yamaha team to satellite squad Petronas SRT, and his best finish of the year remains 10th place at Mugello.
When asked about the motivation racers use to keep going, in light of his own current struggles, Marquez admitted that he was impressed by Rossi’s longevity.
But the Honda rider also echoed comments he’s made previously about needing the motivation of winning to keep pushing himself to perform. Rossi last won a race in 2017, and Marquez reiterated that he doesn’t see himself staying on the grid when not competitive.
“I can’t imagine staying in this championship without a chance to be on the podium” :: Marc Marquez
“I’ve always said that one of the motivations to be here is because I like the taste of the podiums, of winning races and being competitive,” said Marquez.
“As soon as I feel like I can’t be competitive and fighting for the top positions, then it’s time for me to consider many things.
“But it’s true that it’s not the actual situation [at the moment], because I have some limitations that I’m working around, and I have some targets and some extra motivation to ride like I did in the past.
“But it’s true that if you win many races and many championships in the past, to not win you need extra fuel.
“Those victories, those emotions give you extra energy, extra fuel and a winner needs this.
“Many times I have said that I’m very surprised and I appreciate the way that Valentino accepts this [situation].
“He’s riding without options [to win] but still enjoying it, or it looks like he is enjoying it.
“But in his position, for example, I can’t imagine myself. Maybe in the future, but I can’t imagine staying in this championship without a chance to be on the podium.”
But when Marquez’s comments were put to Rossi, he was quick to correct them.
He insisted that he was far from getting enjoyment from the dire situation he finds himself in right now, and had been expecting much more from this year.
“I continued because I was thinking I could be more competitive,” he stressed, “if not to win the championship then to be at the front making nice races.
“Top five, on the podium or close to it. To be one of the top guys in the championship.
“In my head this was the sense that I had.
“I also don’t like to race to finish 16th, but 2020 was a strange season.
“I had COVID, I changed crew chief [from Silvano Galbusera to David Munoz], and I wanted to measure myself in a real season.
“But I’m not having fun finishing 16th.”
The Race understands that Rossi is close to committing to retiring from MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season, and has set his sights on racing in the World Endurance Championship sportscar series in the future.
