Monster Energy Factory Yamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi was pushing Yamaha for further developments to the YZR-M1, describing his machine as sensitive in changeable conditions.

The Italian never had the pace to challenge at the front of the race, finding himself challenging with both Cal Crutchlow and Pol Espargaro in the early stages of the race. Both Rossi and the Brit eventually dropped the KTM man, but Rossi didn’t have the pace to travel with Crutchlow, leaving him to come home in a lonely sixth position.

Rossi was trying to take the positives out of the result, even if he did push Yamaha for further developments in the coming races.

“We aren’t happy about sixth place, but it’s better than the last races,” said the Italian.

“I was able to ride my bike in a better way, and in the end was not too bad. For me, we need to work a lot on the engine.

“Yamaha have to work a lot, because it looks like the other engines made a big step, because they are very fast, but they are also better to ride. So, it looks like we need something important to recover the gap.

“Our bike is very sensitive to the change of conditions. Usually if we have a weekend that everything is perfect and the weather is dry, everybody puts rubber on the asphalt, we are faster.

“If something happens, it rains or the temperature changes, it looks like we suffer more.”

The start of the MotoGP race was delayed by 40 minutes after a rain storm soaked just two corners on the circuit. Rossi was seen on the grid as one of the biggest names pushing for the start to be delayed. When asked why, he said: “Everybody would have to use the slicks.

“It was very, very dangerous if we arrive all together at the first corner, especially at the start, on a full wet track.

“For me it’s the most dangerous thing you can do. So, I said if it’s possible to delay, and I think it was the right choice, because at the end, it was a real race, completely dry.”