MotoGP: Rossi and Yamaha head into off-season with confidence

Valentino Rossi heads into the off-season much more positive than many thought, having concluded the 2018 season with a test at Jerez. The veteran 39-year-old Italian placed 11th overall but insisted that he has a ‘clear’ situation ahead of him as the 2019 racing season looms large and closes in.

2018 was one of the hardest Valentino has endured, with the Yamaha M1 uncompetitive in high-heat and low-grip situations. Without a podium in the entirety of the second half of the year – crashing out of the lead at Sepang being the ultimate low – Rossi and Yamaha need to work together in the off-season to understand exactly what they need to do in order to make the Yamaha a race-winning and championship-challenging package once again.

“The final day was a good day because we worked more in detail and we improved. My pace was not so bad and the feeling with the bike was quite good. From the start we knew we had to decide on the engine spec and we have already decided. I think the situation is quite clear.”

Rossi’s highlights of the year included leading at Assen, Brno, Chang International Circuit and Sepang. With just five podiums in the year and a pole position at home in Mugello, it was ‘The Doctor’s’ first season without a win since 2012, when he was riding for the Factory Ducati Team in the Italian marque’s dark days.

Yamaha as a manufacturer only managed one win, which came in the hands of Maverick Vinales, who dominated the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island at the end of October. The Spaniard however failed to convert many good opportunities throughout the season, often suffering poor starts and failing to recover positions quick enough to mount the podium.

However, the Japanese manufacturer started to turn a corner in the last half of the 2018 season, with Vinales’ win at Phillip Island, Rossi’s stunning pace in Sepang and Vinales pole position at Valencia all highlighting that the package does indeed have potential and their problems aren’t as deep as Ducati’s were back from 2011 to 2013.

There is hope and light at the end of the tunnel for Yamaha and it is getting closer with each lap churned out by all riders of the corporation. However, they’ll hope that the light isn’t just an optical illusion and that a prosperous 2019 awaits them.