Rossi: I don’t know well the situation with the Prince, but we will be in MotoGP

Valentino Rossi provides an update on Sky VR46’s MotoGP future after uncertainty regarding the partnership with Prince Abulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud has arisen.

Robert Jones

12 Sep 2021

Valentino Rossi, Aragon MotoGP, 11 September 2021
© Gold and Goose

Although uncertainty regarding his Sky VR46 MotoGP team has arisen in recent weeks, Valentino Rossi has confirmed that the team will go ahead despite not knowing the situation with Prince Abulaziz bin Abdullah Al Saud.

It’s been well documented that the Saudi Prince wanted to have Rossi on one of his Ducati’s next season.

But, since announcing his retirement from the sport at the conclusion of 2021, there have been rumours of the Saudi investors pulling their funds.

Whether the planned Aramco backing materialises or not, Rossi expects the VR46 MotoGP project to go ahead; "Sincerely I don’t know very well the situation with the Prince.

"I know just that we will do the MotoGP team and we already work very hard.

"I don't know very well the situation, the latest news, but I think anyway we will be in MotoGP next year."

Earlier in the weekend, Rossi revealed that his brother Luca Marini is set to ride the latest Ducati GP22 for VR46 next season. Marini's team-mate is yet to be confirmed but it is 99% certain it will be the team's current Moto2 rider Marco Bezzecchi.

Regarding on-track action in Aragon, Rossi endured another difficult day as he could only manage 21st in qualifying.

While the Italian’s race pace doesn’t suggest a strong result is likely, Rossi believes he made a step forward compared to Friday and that making the right tyre choice will be ‘difficult to predict’.

Rossi added: "Today for me was better than yesterday because already from this morning I feel better with the bike and I improved my pace.

"In FP3 I was able to make a good time attack because I was just 0.6 from the pole position but also here we are all together in the same lap time, it's incredible!

"It's one of the 'worst' times, the first four riders had the same lap time this morning, so it’s very very balanced.

"We will see tomorrow because especially the tyre choice will be very open with the front and especially the rear.

"So it will be not easy to make the right tyre choice and it's difficult to predict what will happen in the race, it also depends on the temperature."