Valentino Rossi's crew chief Jerry Burgess unsure if he'll rejoin Yamaha

Burgess, who previously achieved great success with Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan, began working with Rossi at Honda and then followed him to Yamaha and then Ducati - although it had been uncertain whether he would make the latter switch at the time.

The Australian says he's been asked whether he will move across yet, but hasn't reached a resolution for himself anyway should the question come.

"I don't know, no one has asked me anything yet [about an eventual return to Yamaha]," Burgess told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I'll have to think about that."

Burgess said he could understand Rossi's decision to leave Ducati, despite his conviction that the team is not far away from success.

"I would have liked to finish the job [at Ducati]. We aren't far off, perhaps we lack only 1 per cent. In these two years Ducati has learned a lot, and for me it is disappointing to be unable to finish," said Burgess.

"But I understand how Valentino wants to end his career at the top and feels he can do that with Yamaha.

"I think nothing [has gone wrong] - in certain areas we didn't manage to give Valentino what he would ask, while in others we have done plenty.

"We had to fit a chassis around an already designed engine, and it will take years or a long time to find the best solution. Ducati doesn't have the experience Japanese manufacturers have.

"[At the end of 2010] I had thought it would be possible to build a bike for Valentino, but this is a prototype that needs a completely new approach on a rider's part, so this is why so many have failed. I'm certain we would have made it, but Valentino has no more time."