Brivio: `Valentino´s ability has never come under discussion´

Fiat Yamaha Team Manager for Valentino Rossi, Davide Brivio, was satisfied with his rider´s second place in the Gran Premio bwin.com de España, and believes that it is the beginning of the season proper after a `false start´ in Qatar.

Speaking after Rossi took his first podium with Bridgestone tyreshis 100th rostrum in MotoGP- Brivio was full of praise for all involved in the post-Losail fightback.

`It was a very good race; I think that we did a very good job and this result was very important after Qatar. Basically, we´re at the very beginning of this relationship with Bridgestone and we´re getting to know each other,´ noted the Yamaha factory outfit chief.

`Even though we only finished fifth in Qatar, we picked up some very important data there and the engineers were very good at applying this.´

Despite his latest podium finish, five-time MotoGP World Champion Rossi is nonetheless on his longest winless streak since his first victory in the premier class, and has been written off by some quarters of the press as yesterday´s man. Brivio takes such criticism of his fellow Italian with a pinch of salt, defending Rossi against such speculation.

`People always write what they want. It will be interesting to see what they write after this race, that Stoner is no longer the World Champion or whatever,´ laughed off Brivio. `The reasons for us not winning the past two years have been different, but in the package Valentino´s ability has never come under discussion.

`There´s still a long way to go, but I like to see this as the start of the championship for us.´