Valentino Rossi says he is “99% certain” that he will switch to the Petronas SRT Yamaha MotoGP squad for 2021 after losing his factory Yamaha seat earlier this year.
Rossi has been heavily rumoured to join the Malaysian outfit since confirmation came of his split with the Yamaha factory team he has competed with since ’13 back in Feburary, with the Sepang International Circuit-owned squad’s team principle Razlan Razali fanning flames on the whispers by admitting Rossi joining his team would be “a great story for MotoGP.”
Speaking to DAZN and Sky Sport Italia, Rossi conceded that while having yet put pen to paper on a deal for ’21 and beyond, the two parties were “very close” to agreeing terms.
“The news that I signed isn’t true, but we’re very close to agreeing a contract,” said Rossi.
“I want to continue racing. It’s 99% certain that I’ll race with the Petronas team in 2021.
“We’re still to resolve some details, especially about my team and the people who’ll work with me. We’re talking about how we’ll set up the team, there are a lot of pieces to put into place.”
Rossi is expected to receive identical machinery to those of the official team riders, as well as enjoying full support from Yamaha in a similar vein to the setups employed by Honda and Ducati with its third-factory funded entries run by the LCR and Pramac squads respectively.
Should Rossi’s switch come to fruition, he will effectively perform a straight swap with new Yamaha signing Fabio Quartararo who will start his sophomore premier class campaign with the SIC outfit.
The Frenchman enjoyed a breakout rookie season last year that included seven podium finishes and four pole positions, ultimately heading Rossi in the riders standings with fifth overall compared to the Italians seventh, prompting Yamaha to replace the seven-time MotoGP champion with Quartararo for ’21.
Rossi will be aiming to end his MotoGP win drought that stretches back to the ’17 Dutch TT when the premier class circus gets back underway at Jerez this weekend, the veteran of 342 races hoping to end his career as a full-factory racer on a winning note.
