Valentino Rossi, Yamaha team principal Petronas Razali: ‘It was a mistake to get him the contract’

At the Gazzetta, some time ago, he said that “the podium at Jerez 2020 has removed all doubts about Rossi”; today Razlan Razali, team principal of the former Petronas MotoGP which in 2022 will become Yamaha WithU – thanks to the new Italian sponsor – draw a completely different balance sheet on Valentino Rossi and the last year in the World Championship: “To be honest”, he told Speedweek, “I should never have taken Valentino in Petronas”.

other than jerez

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The explanation of the Malaysian manager, who lost his sponsor Petronas but will continue in MotoGP with Andrea Dovizioso and the rookie Darryn Binder from Moto3, relates to the results of the 9-time world champion’s last season in MotoGP: “After the podium of Jerez we were a bit deluded. We always thought that there was no alternative for us, we felt the pressure of Yamaha on us, pressure that in the end there really wasn’t. On the other hand, I think the pressure was put on by Rossi only to himself, in the sense that his lap times got higher on the track but he wanted to win ”. Not a completely elegant exit, by Razali, also considering the great visibility that Valentino brought in 2021 to Petronas, a team that without Rossi – and after losing Quartararo promoted to the official Yamaha team – would have had very little visibility for a series of negative circumstances: Morbidelli’s injury at the beginning of the season, the unfortunate results, the events linked to the outgoing sponsor. Instead, Valentino Rossi’s exit in the grand finale of the season between Misano and Valencia allowed the satellite team to always remain at the center of attention. But Razali underlines: “Valentino’s mind wanted to win, he had the will to win, but the physique didn’t”.