25.5.06

MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi has put and end to months (years) of speculation as to whether he will switch to F1 by announcing that he he will not, citing unfinished business in MotoGP.

I have mixed feelings about his decision. I enjoy watching the flamboyant and charismatic Italian in 'bike racing and would have loved to see him succeed in F1, but hated to see him fail. The only time he has tested in public, he did "OK", but was in the only V10 amongst the V8s and that a 2004 spec car!

The Rossi saga must have delighted Bernie as it drew massive media attention to F1 in the quiet winter period. However this obviously irritated Fernando Alonso as he's had a couple of goes at Rossi and greeted the announcement with the statement "Good. Like this we don't talk anything more about him."

Schuey's words on Rossi's decision were kinder, at least on the surface, saying it was "sad but understandable", but if you read between the lines, he's saying "you obviously don't think you're hard enough pal".

It is true that Rossi has unfinished business on two wheels. He's currently lying eighth in the Championship having won only one race so far this year, but I cannot believe that he has not tested in private with Ferrari, been given parity of equipment, and knows in his heart-of-hearts that he's just not quick enough.

Whatever the true reasons for his announcement, it removes a distraction for the Scuderia so they can get on with beating Renault and finding a real successor to Schuey.

 

 

Rossi's sticking with two wheels

pic by motogp.com