MotoGP News: Lockdown offers Rossi MotoGP retirement perspective
Valentino Rossi admits being in a coronavirus lockdown for the past two months has given him a more relaxed perspective on retirement as he deliberates his MotoGP future beyond 2020
The 41-year-old nine-times grand prix motorcycle world champion has lost his place at the works Yamaha squad for 2021 to last year's rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo, and is in discussions with Petronas SRT over a works-supported move to the satellite outfit.
- Read more on Rossi's future plans
- SRT has spoken to Yamaha about 2021 Rossi deal
- How Rossi's Petronas Yamaha deal is drawing closer
- Quartararo hopes Rossi fans won't hate him
- Rossi has more potential with new crew chief
Comments in recent weeks from Rossi have indicated he is heading towards staying in MotoGP for at least one more year in 2021, though says he doesn't have a "clear deadline" to make his decision.
Although he admits the day he decides to stop will be "a very sad day for me personally", Rossi concedes that his time at home with his family during lockdown and living without the "constant pressure" of racing has made him realise he will be able to "enjoy" retirement when it comes.
Speaking to BT Sport for its Greatest Years series, Rossi said: "I have to be sincere, I've had a great lockdown.
"I had a good time, because I stayed in my house and relaxed with my mum, with my girlfriend, with my animals, and I had a good time.
"For me, it was very strange because [it's been] from 1995 that my life is [travelling] around the world to the circuits.
"It's a strange feeling in the beginning, but I like a lot being in my house and especially living without constant pressure of the result of the races.
"This is the good feeling, I can figure out a little bit my future life when I stop bike racing.
"So I think I can enjoy also when I stop. So, this is good and I can take my decision more easily."
The weekend just past was meant to be the Italian Grand Prix from Mugello, by which time Rossi had originally planned to have made his decision on his future having assessed his performance in the early races.
Commenting on his potential future with SRT, Rossi insists his 2021 won't be a "farewell tour" should he decide to carry on.
"I'm very happy about my chance with the Petronas team, because for sure it's not a factory team, but it's a great team, a very high level technically and personally, it has a lot of young guys that work there and they did a fantastic job with Quartararo and [Franco] Morbidelli," he added.
"I don't want to make a farewell tour. I read in the newspaper this word, the 'farewell tour'. No.
"I will go to Petronas if I think I can be competitive, I can win races, I can try to fight for the podium.
"So, for sure if I continue I want to try to be competitive and I want to try to do some good races."
Watch MotoGP: The Greatest Years live on Sunday at 10am on BT Sport 1.
MotoGP News: Aprilia to resume testing in June at Misano
MotoGP News: Petrucci confirms Ducati departure at the end of 2020
Binotto praised for helping Vasseur’s Ferrari F1 handover
Former Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Mattia Binotto has been praised by replacement Fred Vasseur for helping talk him through their handover.
Buemi: Diriyah FE pole pace just the beginning, "sad" at how Nissan spell ended
Sebastien Buemi says his pole position pace at the Diriyah E-Prix is "just the beginning", but conceded it left him "sad" at how his time with Nissan ended.
Grosjean upbeat ahead of Lamborghini debut in Daytona 24 Hours
Romain Grosjean has expressed his satisfaction with the build-up to this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, which will mark his first outing as a factory Lamborghini driver.
Van der Linde pleased by Diriyah FE qualifying despite "uphill battle" debut
Kelvin van der Linde was buoyed by his Diriyah E-Prix qualifying performance after minimal running, although felt his first Formula E race was an "uphill battle".
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.