He'll end his career at Ducati, whether this year or next. Tbh I'm wondering if the times right now. He seems to have lost that sparkle since he's been having issues with the bike and certainly doesn't seem to be pushing like he used to. Maybe he has time to race cars now for 5 years
He's not pushing because it ain't worth the risk for what, eighth place..? The fact he hit the podium in the wet suggests it's only the machinery holding him back. The question is whether he's happy to take the pay cheque and stay at ducati, or go in search of a bike capable of winning.
It's understanding the politics that are behind top level racing now. It doesn't make ANY sense for a manufacturer to allow their Factory team to be beaten consistently by a satellite team, it's extremely bad publicity. The headlines would soon be about how the Factory team is losing to the satellite team. If Yamaha or Honda want Rossi to win and to allow him to go for the Championship they will sign him to the Factory team. If he signs for Gresini or Tech 3 he has no chance of winning the championship but might win the odd race. With Ducati, assuming they can get the bike winning again ( and i realise that is a big ask), he would be able to go for the Championship. Whatever Honda or Yamaha say, the satellite team bikes will not be to the exact same spec as the full Factory bikes. Dovi admitted this at Silverstone last weekend.
That will be why both Cal and Doviziosa on satellite Yamaha's are in front of Ben Spies on the factory bike then. Yamaha dont seem to have the same reasoning as their satellite bikes are going faster than their works bike. [TABLE="width: 512"] [TR] [TH="colspan: 2, align: left"]As of: British Grand Prix[/TH] [TH]+/-[/TH] [TH]Points[/TH] [TH]Behind[/TH] [TH]Wins[/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TH]1[/TH] [TD]Jorge Lorenzo - Yamaha Factory Racing[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]140[/TD] [TD]‒[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH]2[/TH] [TD]Casey Stoner - Repsol Honda Team[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]115[/TD] [TD]25[/TD] [TD]2[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH]3[/TH] [TD]Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda Team[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]101[/TD] [TD]39[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH]4[/TH] [TD]Cal Crutchlow - Monster Yamaha Tech 3[/TD] [TD]+1[/TD] [TD]66[/TD] [TD]74[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TH]5[/TH] [TD]Andrea Dovizioso - Monster Yamaha Tech 3[/TD] [TD]-1[/TD] [TD]60[/TD] [TD]80[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]6[/TH] [TD]Valentino Rossi - Ducati Team[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]58[/TD] [TD]82[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]7[/TH] [TD]Alvaro Bautista - San Carlo Honda Gresini[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]58[/TD] [TD]82[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]8[/TH] [TD]Stefan Bradl - LCR Honda MotoGP[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]51[/TD] [TD]89[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]9[/TH] [TD]Nicky Hayden - Ducati Team[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]49[/TD] [TD]91[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]10[/TH] [TD]Hector Barbera - Pramac Racing Team[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]37[/TD] [TD]103[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]11[/TH] [TD]Ben Spies - Yamaha Factory Racing[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]35[/TD] [TD]105[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]12[/TH] [TD]Aleix Espargaro - Power Electronics Aspar[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]20[/TD] [TD]120[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]13[/TH] [TD]Randy De Puniet - Power Electronics Aspar[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]11[/TD] [TD]129[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]14[/TH] [TD]Michele Pirro - San Carlo Honda Gresini[/TD] [TD]+1[/TD] [TD]9[/TD] [TD]131[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]15[/TH] [TD]James Ellison - Paul Bird Motorsport[/TD] [TD]+1[/TD] [TD]7[/TD] [TD]133[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]16[/TH] [TD]Mattia Pasini - Speed Master[/TD] [TD]-2[/TD] [TD]6[/TD] [TD]134[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]17[/TH] [TD]Colin Edwards - NGM Mobile Forward Racing[/TD] [TD]+1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]136[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]18[/TH] [TD]Karel Abraham - Cardion AB Motoracing[/TD] [TD]-1[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]136[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]19[/TH] [TD]Danilo Petrucci - Came IodaRacing Project[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]136[/TD] [TD]0[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: hidden"] [TH]20[/TH] [TD]Yonny Hernandez - Avintia Blusens[/TD] [TD]–[/TD] [TD]4[/TD] [TD]136[/TD] [TD]0 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
Yes it is but it also proves that if the factory slows the satellite teams down too much then they can cause trouble for themselves . If next year Honda have marquez and pedrosa on the factory bikes and they give slower bikes to the others they could quite easily not have any bikes in the top six . It dosent make any sense to slow your own machinery and it wont happen. Not that Valentino will go to Honda anyway.
Rossi would be more likely to go to Tech3 than Gresini; he far preferred the Yamaha. And the Tech3 is doing better, after all...
There is no way of proving it but i guarantee you that the Gresini bike is not the same spec bike as Pedrosa and Stoner run and neither is the Tech 3 the same spec as Lorenzo and Spies bikes. Dovi was asked about development of the M1 and what say he has in it at Silverstone last week and he said he has no say in how the bike is developed or the parts they can use. They use what they are given and no more.
your right, he won with them. Then slagged them off. Then Honda and Yamaha employed fast hungrier riders who have seen Rossi off. The is no shame in being getting more exprienced (read - older), you just need to accept that younger riders have kept the bar at a level you are no longer able to reach - expereince or not. Time moves on, your are pushed to the back of the field and the race at the front is not one you are in.
Marco Simoncelli had a full on HRC works bike when he unfortunatelly lost his life . He was not riding for Repsol . The talk was if Rossi went to Gresini would he get a full works HRC bike . Nothing to do with Tech 3 that was only to prove that a satellite team could, and does , beat a factory team. If Rossi did go to Gresini , Very doubtful , He would have a full on 2013 HRC bike . They have done it before , Marco , and could easily do it again . Theres more chance of Valentino going to WSB than riding a second stream honda at Gresini. No chance.
Apart from all the good points here about why he wont go to Gresini, the Honda's no longer appear to favour the tyres.
The only thing stopping him going to Yamaha is Lorenzo, and you can't blame Lorenzo for that, given his current form, the last thing he needs is a dogfight with Rossi when he's expected to win regularly. Rossi ain't going to Honda, either. Honda are a team of engineers, the rider is a tool, a cog, nothing more. And that's no good to any rider with a temperament. If he does go to Gresini it will only be with full factory kit and Burgess pulling the strings. Tech3 isn't a bad shout. They've been receiving factory support for a while, and Rossi is popular at Yamaha despite what certain members of this communion suggest. Sticking him there keeps him away from Lorenzo, provides Yamaha with another potential winner, and earns a bundle for a smaller team, which is what Dorna wants. No. The more I think about it, the more I reckon he'll stay at Ducati or leave the series altogether.
He didn't really leave Honda under a cloud, it's just that he beat them right from the word go. Stoner has been much more critical of their bike, but they seem to accept that.
Audi would like him racing one of their cars ? You know when something is going on when Alex briggs is quiet on twitter!
