Valentino Rossi is OUT of the factory Yamaha squad next year. Replaced by Fabio Quartararo
2019 MotoGP Rookie of the Year Fabio Quartararo will join Maverick Viñales at Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team in 2021 and 2022. The news means that Valentino Rossi will either stay on a Yamaha with factory backing in another set up, switch to another manufacturer for 2021 or retire at the end of this season – and even the nine-time world champion says he’s not sure yet what’s going to happen to him.
Quartararo said: “I‘m delighted about what my management has achieved in the last few months together with YMC. It was not simple to establish, but now I have a clear plan for the next three years and I‘m really happy.”
Responding, Rossi said: “My first goal is to be competitive this year and to continue my career as a MotoGP rider also in 2021.
“For reasons dictated by the riders’ market,” said the nine-time World Champion, “Yamaha asked me at the beginning of the year to make a decision regarding my future. Consistent with what I said during the last season, I confirmed that I didn’t want to rush any decision and needed more time.
Yamaha has acted accordingly and concluded the ongoing negotiations.
“It is clear that after the last technical changes and with the arrival of my new crew chief, my first goal is to be competitive this year and to continue my career as a MotoGP rider also in 2021. Before doing so, I need to have some answers that only the track and the first few races can give me.
“I‘m happy that, should I decide to continue, Yamaha is ready to support me in all respects, giving me a factoryspec bike and a factory contract.”