Valentino Rossi: Fight hard, or go home

Phillip Island runner-up Valentino Rossi says the fairing-bashing on show in Australia is now ‘the game’ in MotoGP.

The nine-time world champion clashed on track with eventual winner Marc Marquez, premier class rookie Johann Zarco and fellow Italian Andrea Iannone as a fierce battle raged for the rostrum places.

Rossi admits that the level of contact in evidence on the track is more dangerous, but the 38-year-old concedes that he may as well stay at home unless he is up for the battle.

After recovering from a broken leg, Rossi returned to the podium at Phillip Island for the first time since Silverstone with a determined ride to second place and showed without question that he still has the stomach for a fight.

“It’s like this, especially in the last period, the level of aggressiveness and contact during the race is raised a lot, especially when the young riders arrive from Moto2. Also Zarco is always very, very aggressive, so you can get angry but it changes nothing,” Rossi said.

“This is the game and if you want to play it is like this. It’s a bit more dangerous, but this is the way and if not, you have to stay at home.”

Rossi felt he had the pace to run with Marquez until the end of the race but highlighted an incident with Ecstar Suzuki rider Iannone, which he says thwarted his chances and allowed Marquez to make a break.

“I enjoy very much and it was a great race, starting from the beginning with [Jack] Miller and [Aleix] Espargaro, I had a good pace. After I have to fight, especially with Zarco and after a while Iannone – I think the two worst riders for fight!” he said.

“I remember also I have to fight with Iannone in 2015 and he beat me on the last lap, so I try the maximum and also with Zarco. With Marquez it was a great race and I enjoy a lot. I am so happy because we were competitive and we worked well.

“I was, like everybody, lucky because there were good conditions and you can see for sure the best race of the season. All the people that wake up at seven o’clock in Europe will be happy,” he added.

“I did the right choice for the tyres and I think at the end I have the potential to stay with Marquez until the end because I was fast, but one moment I think I am in the perfect position, Iannone arrived in the hairpin like crazy and Marquez go.

“Anyway, it was difficult to win but I’m so happy and it’s important for me because I come from a difficult period after a broken leg and it is also important for Yamaha and all our group.”