Gossip: Rossi interested in Vinales' crew chief?

Valentino Rossi is considering a change of MotoGP crew chief for 2019 and top of his list is none other than Ramon Forcada, who currently works with the Italian's team-mate Maverick Vinales.

That's according to a report by Spanish publication Marca.com, which states that Vinales does not want to work with Forcada next season.

It's no secret that there have been tensions between Vinales and his Movistar Yamaha crew, with Vinales hinting that changes will be made.

Forcada has been a crew chief at the factory Yamaha team since Jorge Lorenzo's arrival in 2008, joining forces with Vinales when triple MotoGP champion Lorenzo switched to Ducati at the start of 2017. 

Vinales and Forcada won three of their first five races together, but haven't taken a victory since. Meanwhile Yamaha has been winless since Rossi's triumph at Assen last year.

Jerry Burgess was Rossi's crew chief from his 2000 premier-class debut until replacing the Australian with Silvano Galbusera (whom he had briefly worked with when evaluating his return from a broken leg in 2010) at the end of 2013.

According to Marca, Forcada's other options for next season are to join the to-be-announced Petronas satellite Yamaha team, which is also the rumoured destination for Wilco Zeelenberg.

The Dutchman, rider coach for Lorenzo and then Vinales, is tipped to be team manager of the new project, which is targetting Dani Pedrosa and Franco Morbidelli as its riders.