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Valentino Rossi, Petronas Yamaha SRT
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Analysis

The signs that point to Rossi's MotoGP retirement

It's not been a happy start to 2021 for Valentino Rossi at the Petronas SRT satellite squad, with performances that are a shadow of the rider that utterly dominated MotoGP at the start of the new millennium. At the age of 42, how much longer can he go on?

Even though Valentino Rossi insists that he has yet to take a decision on his future, the signs coming from the rider and everything around him suggest that retirement at the end of the 2021 MotoGP season is the most likely and logical outcome.

Unless the Italian legend’s form takes a steep upward turn over the next three or four races, to avert what has been the worst start to a season of his professional career, it will be hard for the seven-time MotoGP world champion to justify continuing into 2022 at the age of 43.

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