Valentino Rossi, Petronas Yamaha SRT 2021 MotoGP talks 'positive'

Petronas SRT Yamaha boss Razlan Razali says talks between himself and Valentino Rossi over a deal for the 2021 MotoGP World Championship are progressing well and could be resolved before the start of the 2020 season.

Rossi hasn’t formally confirmed whether he will continue racing beyond the 2020 MotoGP World Championship season after his original plan to use the opening rounds of this season to evaluate his future were scuppered by the protracted pause brought about by the COVID-19 crisis.

However, he has dropped hints that he plans to be on the grid in 2021 riding a full factory Yamaha M1 in Petronas SRT colours.

Now Razali has revealed to the Malaysian BHonline publication that talks – though complicated - are moving along and could be confirmed before the delayed season gets underway on July 19 in Jerez.

“The talks have so far been positive,” he said. “If both sides agree, then everything will be positive and we are heading towards the final phase.

“However, it has not yet been finalised. We hope this issue can be resolved before the start of next month. Valentino Rossi is not a normal driver, so the discussion is not easy (involving many parties), there is a lot to discuss together.”

“We will have a video conference with Rossi shortly. He wants to know what the team expects from him ... With the current situation we need stability in the team.

“In these different situations, it would be useful for us to hire a driver who can provide stability to the team. It is possible that he retires to our team, it would be an honour."

Earlier this year Rossi - who will be replaced in the Yamaha Factory team by Fabio Quartararo next year - confirmed he would use the first rounds of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship to assess his competitiveness before making a call on whether he will race on in 2021.

He has since suggested this year's heavily impacted schedule wouldn't make this the best moment to call time on his career, though he did admit he has been enjoying his time away from the track.