Valentino Rossi predicts five-way fight for Mugello MotoGP win
Italian Grand Prix polesitter Valentino Rossi believes any one of five riders can win Sunday's MotoGP race at Mugello
Rossi claimed his second pole of 2016 on Saturday and will start his home race from the front of the grid for the first time in eight years.
The Yamaha rider's advantage over Suzuki's Maverick Vinales was just 0.094 seconds, with Ducati's Andrea Iannone only 0.103s behind in qualifying to complete the front row.
However, with Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo also within four tenths in fourth and fifth, Rossi believes any one of the quintet could win Sunday's 23-lap race.
"At this moment, looking clearly at the pace of today, it looks like Vinales has the best pace, a little bit faster," Rossi said.
"I am good, not so bad, and also Iannone is with me.
"But we have to remember in fourth and fifth we have have Marquez and Lorenzo that for sure will go faster.
"So I think the top five can win tomorrow.
"I feel good with the bike, but we have to try to improve some small details.
"The race at Mugello is always very demanding physically and also mentally, but starting from pole position is also important."
Iannone echoed Rossi's sentiment about the top five riders on the grid having a legitimate chance to win what he feels will be an "incredible battle".
Having claimed his maiden MotoGP pole position at Mugello in 2015, Iannone narrowly missed out on a second, but topped each of the weekend's three dry practice sessions and feels well placed.
"I'm very, very happy because we improved the bike practice by practice and with the team the work is very, very good and this I think is the most important for the race," Iannone said.
"For sure I expect a lot from the race tomorrow because this weekend we have shown a very good potential.
"We have had a very good pace and I have a very good feeling with the bike.
"I think the first five riders are very close and it's a very difficult race tomorrow."
Lorenzo: 2017 MotoGP team-mates Rossi and Vinales are collaborating
Mugello MotoGP: Lorenzo beats Marquez by 0.019s, Rossi retires
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special
How Quartararo is evoking an absent MotoGP great in 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success
The human importance of Marquez’s latest enforced MotoGP absence
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Autosport, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock left by Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. Autosport analyses what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP’s Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How Honda's praise for its 2022 MotoGP bike has turned into doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022