Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi doesn’t believe he has the pace to challenge for a MotoGP podium in tomorrow’s race at Phillip Island after qualifying on the third row today.
Rossi had to come through the first timed session in Australia but his lap in Q2 was basically the same as Q1 and he doesn’t think he can do anything about not only the pace of team-mate Maverick Vinales but also poleman Marc Marquez.
“Last year was a great race. I enjoyed it a lot. But unfortunately today I’m not fast like last year. We are not so far, but I’m not strong enough at this moment to make a good race, to fight for the top positions. So we need to find something,” said Rossi, speaking at the track.
“I was able to arrive at a quite good lap time early, but after I was too much at the limit in corner entry and wasn’t able to improve. I’m not very happy about the setting of the bike; we have to try to make it better. And also we have to wait and see about the weather. We hope that at 4pm tomorrow it will be good like today and we will try to make a good race.”
