Rossi: “I could have been on the front row”

Top six for the Italian legend after failing to find a clear bit of track

9-time world champion Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will begin the Czech GP from the second row of the grid, after a session that saw him encounter traffic and struggle to get a clear run. With a possibility of changed conditions overnight, the Yamaha rider is satisfied to be on the second row rather than third, but waits to see how race day unfolds.

Valentino Rossi (P6): “It‘s a shame for me because I have a better potential and could‘ve arrived on the front row because my ideal time would have been the third one. I pushed a lot on the second tyre, because I knew I could improve by half a second, but unfortunately I got stuck in traffic and we arrived there with everybody waiting, it becomes like a big casino, you have to risk a lot, it‘s a disaster. At the end I hadn‘t done a clear lap, but anyway the second row is not so bad, because if you are on the third it‘s more difficult. The second is for sure worst than the first, but anyway you are in the top group, so we need to wait for tomorrow and understand the conditions, if it will be wet or dry and also the temperature, if it‘s colder it will become more difficult for the front tyre.”