Valentino Rossi 'not at fault' for Imola pit stop mishap

The seven-time MotoGP champion missed out on a likely top ten finish due to a 'miscommunication issue' during the team's second pit stop.

Running in 13th place, heavy traffic in pit lane caused by a safety car period saw Rossi overshoot the pit box and forced to do another lap before handing over to team-mate Fred Vervisch.

The #46 Audi R8 LMS GT3 went on to finish in 17th place.

"All the attention, obviously, was on Valentino, he did a very good job, no mistakes and had a good pace," said team principal Vincent Vosse.

"He is not at fault in the pit stop issue, it is something that we have to analyse but that can happen when almost the entire field comes into the pit lane at the same time.”

'I enjoyed every moment'

Rossi insisted he had 'enjoyed every moment' in front of his home fans and learned a lot from the weekend.

“It was a very good weekend, we worked a lot and well, and I enjoyed every moment," he said.

"In the race, I was strong, we could have gone for a good result, in the top 10, but unfortunately, there was this mistake at the pit stop, but we will learn from it.

"I still have to cope with a lot of new things in GT racing, where you have so many variables and information to handle, I guess this is what you call experience…”

Rossi's team-mates Vervisch and Nico Müller praised The Doctor's performance.

“Qualifying could have been better, especially for Vale and me, but we were stuck in traffic. Still, in the race, despite starting from P15, we were competitive, had a good pace and could have been in the top 10," said Muller.

"Vale would have deserved that because he did a really good job, no mistakes, good pace, but unfortunately, there was this miscommunication in the pit stop. It’s a pity, but there is a lot of positive to take into the next race.”

Vervisch added: “We finished the race, which was the target, but we could have had a much better result without the confusion in the pits. Still, the positive is that we were competitive, Valentino had a very good race pace. Overall, we have a very good base from where to improve further.”

The next GT World Challenge event will be held at Brands Hatch on April 30.