Rossi cautious on predicting Yamaha pace

Valentino Rossi says he wants to understand how the new Michelin tyres react to the resurfaced circuit at Autodromo Termas de Rio Hondo before predicting Yamaha’s potential at the Argentina MotoGP.

The nine-time world champion helped Movistar Yamaha to a 1-2 finish in Argentina 12 months ago having seen Maverick Vinales clinch victory, while satellite squad Tech3 Yamaha saw both riders finish inside the top six, which marked a Yamaha domination.

After a tricky pre-season getting his 2018 Yamaha MotoGP bike up to speed dueo to difficulties with the electronics, Rossi battled back to take a podium finish at the season opener in Qatar fresh from signing a new deal which will see him at the factory Yamaha squad at least until the end of 2020.

While Rossi is optimistic for another strong showing in Argentina, with a win and two second place results in the past three years, but the Italian rider is wary of any predictions until he’s weighed up his pace on the new Michelin rubber at the resurfaced circuit.

“From the first year we came I liked the track as it is interesting, technical and very flowing so usually it is okay for our bike,” Rossi said. “It depends on the marriage between the tyres with the asphalt and the bike. This makes the difference usually more than the engine.”

Rossi also feels both the factory Honda and Ducati squads are stronger this time around heading into the Argentina race compared to 12 months ago and anticipates a closer battle between the top three manufacturers.

“Let’s see how this weekend goes for our team because last year we finished first and second,” he said. “Now the situation is different and I think Ducati and Honda are stronger and in a better shape compared to last year.

“I think that it will be harder but it is important to see how the bike works with the tyres on this asphalt but we hope to be competitive.”