GP of Thailand – Rossi (4th): "It’s still not enough"

Valentino Rossi took fourth place in the 2018 Thai GP, after leading several laps and coming close to taking pole position! The Yamaha rider was not, however, defeated by this unexpected return to the forefront of Yamaha, which placed three motorcycles from third to fifth place. Debriefing.

Valentino Rossi, Yamaha-Movistar (2nd in qualifying and 4th in race) : "We have made a lot of progress during this weekend. Unfortunately, I was not strong enough against Marc and Andrea to come and challenge them on the podium (nor against Viñales by the way, Editor’s note!). But it remains. a much better race than in the last three or four rounds ".

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• GP of Thailand : 
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"I stayed at the forefront of every session and started from the front row: we were competitive and it was a good weekend … But it’s still not enough. Our main rivals were a bit more fast and we have to understand if this track has helped us or if, really, we have progressed ".

"I am optimistic that we will be performing well at the Japanese GP in a fortnight. Overall, Motegi has always been a good circuit for me. I hope it will be dry because last year it was a nightmare. in the rain, but we’ll see! "

Site analysis : Of all the Yamaha riders, Valentino Rossi was the one who harbored the most doubts as to the ability of the M1s to compete with Honda and Ducati in Thailand. The Doctor expressed frank pessimism even before arriving in Southeast Asia, pointing out how much he and Viñales had suffered in Buriram during the offseason….

For Rossi, the chances of shining on this circuit, which was perceived as unfavorable, was minimal for lack of developments on the Yamaha. The genius of the mountain pastures was already anticipating a hard race, finished far from the leaders like the three previous ones: his 6th place at 14.026 sec in Austria, followed by a 7th place at 19.086 in Misano (Italy) and an 8th position at 15.199 sec in Aragon (Spain) have somewhat undermined his confidence.

This rather negative approach did not particularly change after the first free practice session, yet finished in second place behind his teammate. On the evening of the first day, the 39-year-old Italian even believed that the presence of the Yamaha at the forefront did not reflect their real potential. Confident, the Doc ‘ !

The next day, after missing pole by just 0.011 sec on Marquez, Valentino Rossi has – finally! – started to believe in his chances despite his worrying inability to explain this start of M1. Also second in the warm-up, Rossi did not procrastinate too long: he took control of the race as soon as the opportunity arose, setting the pace ahead of Dovizioso and Marquez.

Is Thailand just a flash in the pan for Yamaha ?

Unfortunately, a small error will relegate him from the first to the second group, where his pace has started to weaken … The Doctor was then overtaken by his teammate who, faithful to his habits, conversely gained in strength when his tank started to empty.

Obviously disappointed to fail at the foot of the podium, the n ° 46 is however delighted with this fourth place since it is his best result since the GP of the Czech Republic which ended in the same position this summer! These thirteen points scored in Thailand also allow him to consolidate his 3rd place in the provisional, with 22 points behind Dovizioso and 26 ahead of Viñales..

That said, MNC can’t help but wonder at what position the Italian idol might have ended up had this first round of the Pacific tour been approached in a more confident manner? The remark is also valid for Johann Zarco, rather skeptical at first before reviewing his ambitions upwards..

Only Maverick Viñales was immediately delighted with the sensations recovered with his M1, announcing on Friday the possibility of obtaining a good result. Objective achieved for n ° 25, the first Yamaha rider under the checkered flag just 0.270 sec from the winner! A little optimism cannot hurt at the Iwata brand…

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