Monster Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi got to grips with the first iteration of the 2020 MotoGP YZR-M1 at today’s Brno test but said there was very little difference between it and the bike on which he finished sixth yesterday.

Yamaha’s engineers brought a revised motor and a tweaked chassis to the Czech Republic track for Rossi and team-mate Maverick Vinales to evaluate and The Doctor wasn’t exactly over the moon.

“It was a good day, a good test. We tried also the prototype of the new bike, but sincerely we don’t have a lot new. Is a different engine and a little bit different setting of the chassis. But it’s just the first touch and we can have something else also in the next test,” said Rossi, speaking at the track.

We don’t feel a lot of difference, no. But we expect because is just a little bit different in the engine. But this is not the 2020 bike. It’s just the first prototype.

“And we will work, we will try something else, but we need more for sure. We try to have more grip, especially from the rear, so we try some different settings because for the rest the bike is the same. And we find something better, something worse, we fight a little bit with the wheelie. So we have a lot of work to do still.

“But it is just the first touch, we have a lot to do and I think that the Misano test, after Silverstone, will be important for everybody because we will have something else. But anyway it was a positive day.”