Drivers and teams – What about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo’s retirement? –

Posted on by admin

What to make of the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo‘s retirement ?

Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

The MotoGP summer break has traditionally been conducive to the development of rumors … The latest to date: the inevitable hanging up of the gloves of Grand Prix idol Valentino Rossi and the possible retirement of Jorge Lorenzo before the end of his first campaign at Honda- Repsol. MNC takes stock … retirement !

The subject of the retirement of Valentino Rossi comes up frequently on the carpet insofar as, at 40 years and five months, the genius of the Alpages is the oldest of MotoGP riders … He could for example be the father of the prodigious beginner Fabio Quartararo (20 years and three months): the young Frenchman was not even born when the Doctor won his first GP125 title in 1997, nor when the Journal moto du Net came out of the modem in March 1999 !

  • MNC of July 8, 2019 : Rossi frustrated by his lack of speed at German GP
  • MNC of June 28, 2019 :

These questions about his end of career are also due to the decline in his performance, certainly still very enviable but inevitably disappointing compared to his fantastic successes and his nine world titles. The n ° 46, still as fine strategist, now fights for the podium more than for the victory…

Its results curve is edifying: its sad Grand Prix in Germany marked its 36th unsuccessful race, dangerously close to its black period at Ducati (44 races without victories in 2011 and 2012). As incredible as it may seem, the official Yamaha has not won since the handlebars of a motorcycle certainly perfectible, but nevertheless powerful.

The proof with the victory of his teammate Maverick Viñales in the Netherlands and his second place in Germany, not to mention the spectacular blows of the "Rookie" Quartararo who has already pocketed three pole positions and two successive podiums for his first year on the private M1 of the Petronas-SRT team. 

Rossi’s worst half of the season

Valentino Rossi’s good results counter remains blocked on his two consecutive second places in Argentina and the Americas. After which, the Italian went through a worrying slack period: 6th in Jerez, 5th in France, then a surprising series of three consecutive falls (in Italy and the Netherlands by his fault and pushed by the Honda of Lorenzo in Catalonia).

Drivers and teams - What about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

Result: his mid-season record is the worst on record since his first Grand Prix season in 1996, with just 80 points in nine races. Even his disastrous second year at Ducati, in 2012, had been more productive with 82 points at this point in the season. !

"I don’t like it, of course, but it has already happened at another point in my career and I managed to come back", relativizes the nine-time world champion, who remains convinced that he can win again: " it is possible ", he assured before leaving with his lovely companion, Francesca Novello..

Lucid, the native of Tavullia nevertheless recognizes that this delicate period raises the question of his motivation to go through with his contract with Yamaha – which, let us remember,. The question of his retirement is in fact regularly discussed, especially since he gave up 5th place in the provisional to a Viñales who had a very bad start at the start of the season….

"I was already old last year!"

"I think that’s pretty normal given the situation," Rossi admits. "And naturally, I too wonder: I was already asking myself the question ten years ago, so imagine yourself now!", Replies the facetious rider whose oratorical talents will certainly be missed in MotoGP as much as his daring overtaking !

 Drivers and teams - What about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

"It all depends on the results: if we do not manage to resolve our concerns, it is obvious that it will be a problem to continue", diagnoses the Doctor wisely, while hammering out his desire to continue his career as long as he takes fun on his bike, with or without victory.

“At some point I had to decide if I wanted to stop on a win or if I continued because I like to run. I chose the second option ten years ago already and I am very fond of it. happy. The day that will no longer be the case, I will want to stop ", specifies Valentino Rossi, recalling with humor that he was" already old last year and there are five too " !

Could Jorge Lorenzo break his contract with Honda ?

By a strange irony, the question of retirement also arises about his former teammate at Yamaha: Jorge Lorenzo! The 32-year-old Mallorcan, currently recovering from his fractures, could he end his career even before the end of his first season at Honda? ?

 Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

His poor results are obviously at the origin of this rumor which has spread like wildfire: his 11th place in the French GP is to date his best performance on the reigning world champion motorcycle, with which his teammate Marc Marquez has already won five times this season and outrageously dominates the premier class…

  • MNC of June 29, 2019 : Lorenzo’s crash at Assen stems from driving error, Honda says

"His riding style is opposed to the bike and I don’t think he will be able to improve and grow as he did with Ducati", even believes for his part Marco Melandri, who has just decided to put one .

Jorge Lorenzo, 16th overall, is also seriously bruised by his repeated falls on the RCV, to the point of having spent the last few weeks with a corset. Has his extraordinary resistance to pain reached its limits, after already 19 Grand Prix seasons marked by splendid successes but at least as many injuries? ?

"We know Jorge is a champion" 

Lorenzo has, however, already proven his ability to bounce back in the past, notably by winning three races with the official Ducati last year after a season and a half of underperformance. As Marc Marquez rightly points out: "his ego is a great strength, because it helps him to overcome difficulties".

 Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

Because "Jorgueil" firmly believes in himself and in his talent, which makes him as formidable on the track as it is exasperating outside when his self-esteem borders on complacency: "I am not a pilot, but a champion", a Does he in particular repeat with that disarming aplomb which characterizes him.

Still, experiencing a new period of suffering at Honda after having had to do violence to return to the top at Ducati would be enough to disturb more than one, including a champion of the caliber of Lorenzo. Hence the rumors about his possible withdrawal, which the person has so far not commented on… 

"I don’t know anything about it", assures – without really convincing – Alberto Puig, team manager of the official Honda team. "All we hope is to get him back as soon as possible to regain some sensations with the bike. We are all here to help him", replied the former Spanish rider when asked about the possibility of seeing Lorenzo failing Honda.

Honda expects Lorenzo to "live up to his contract"

"We wish him a speedy recovery," continues Puig for whom nothing at this stage indicates that Lorenzo will not be back as planned on August 4. "Recovering from such an injury is not easy, but we know that he is a champion and that he will fight to regain his form and his motivation.".

 Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

This official point of view is shared by HRC director Tetsuhiro Kuwata, who says he is focused on "achieving our common goal with him: our dream is to see the two Repsol Honda riders leading the riders’ championship", explains the Japanese leader … without however advancing on his preference concerning the order of his pilots in the general !

"We believe in Jorge and we always honor our contracts," he warns, however, to pull the rug out from under those who thought Honda could sack Lorenzo because of his poor results.

But the director of the HRC warns that the reasoning works both ways: "We also expect him to honor his contract because we believe in him," warns Kuwata-san, well aware of the rumors spreading….

Who would benefit from Lorenzo’s departure? ?

If by any chance Jorge Lorenzo were to actually end his career, whether it be this summer or at the end of the 2019 season, his factory Honda would of course be immediately coveted by several pilots..

 Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

The first concerned, in logical order, are Cal Crutchlow and Takaaki Nakagami, teammates within the Honda-LCR team. The Briton is in theory the best placed to join the HRC thanks to his status as a semi-official driver and his three victories on the RC213V (two in 2016, one in 2018).

But the n ° 35 suffers from a chronic inconstancy which earned him to appear only in 9th in the provisional with 17 points more than Nakagami (67 against 50). A small difference considering the Japanese does not receive the same support as Crutchlow and drives an earlier version of the Honda…

On the other hand, even if Takaaki Nakagami has never won in the top category, his nationality and his natural discretion are two not insignificant assets in the eyes of his Japanese employer, not necessarily focused on the verbal projections of which Crutchlow is accustomed….

Crutchlow on the lookout but respectful of Lorenzo

"First of all, I want to respect Lorenzo who has not yet commented on these rumors: perhaps it is just an invention of the press", reacted cautiously Cal Crutchlow when asked about the possible retirement Mallorcan.

Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

The native of Conventry is perfectly aware of the need to "play it thin": soon to be 34, such an opportunity to join the factory team will probably not come again. And if this was the case, remember that Lorenzo – who is there – has not yet returned his apron !

Last parameter finally to be taken into account in this "game of musical saddles": if one of the two Honda-LCR riders accesses the HRC, that mechanically frees a RCV for next year. And here again, such a handlebar arouses much envy… 

Starting with Alex Marquez, little brother of the MotoGP boss, who currently dominates the Moto2 championship ahead of Tom Luthi after having won four wins in five races! The n ° 73 could thus realize his dream of reaching the premier category, which he was considering for a time with the Ducati Pramac team..

  • MNC of May 28, 2019 : Petrucci, Miller and Alex Marquez are on two motorcycles…

This door was recently closed after Ducati made known its desire to extend Miller and Bagnaia to their respective places, while offering Pramac the opportunity to line up next year two Desmosedici vintage 2020 with specifications close to the motorcycles of ‘Dovizioso and Petrucci factory.

Marc does not want – publicly – to interfere for Alex…

"I think that when Alex makes his debut in MotoGP, he will have to choose a bike with which he will feel good," comments Marc Marquez, who obviously follows very closely the career of his brother with whom he trains daily. mountain biking and running.

Drivers and teams - How about the rumors about Rossi and Lorenzo's retirement? -

"Right now my brother doesn’t have a place at Honda and even if there was one for Lorenzo, I don’t want to know anything about this stuff so as not to disrespect Crutchlow or Nakagami ", clarified the defending champion who does not especially want to give the impression to impose the hiring of his junior.. 

Continuation of this “summer soap opera” at the beginning of August in Brno (Czech Republic), where many eyes will be on the Honda-Repsol box to observe the normally expected return of Jorge Lorenzo! To follow naturally on MNC: stay connected !

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *