'6-7 races' - Valentino Rossi, VR46 to decide on MotoGP future

Valentino Rossi and VR46 have some big MotoGP decisions to make in the early stages of the 2021 season.

The first concerns the future of Rossi's legendary career, having signed only a one-year Yamaha contract to join the satellite Petronas team.

"It will depend a lot on the races, after 6-7 GPs we will see if [Rossi] is having fun and how competitive he is, at which point we will make a choice," VR46 Riders Academy and Sky Racing Team VR46 director Alessio 'Uccio' Salucci told SkySport.it.

The second big decision will be whether VR46, which is dipping its toe into MotoGP team management by helping run Rossi's younger brother Luca Marini at Avintia Ducati this season, decides to enter the premier-class with its own project in 2022.

Marini is the third VR46 Academy rider to reach MotoGP, after Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia, with the team's Moto2 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Celestino Vietti next in line.

"Our [VR46] guys have grown faster than expected, the time has come to think about making a team in MotoGP," Salucci confirmed.

"The road is long, the step to take is also important from an economic point of view , we are facing important months.

"We don't know which bike to go to MotoGP with, for sure we all know that our heart is with Yamaha."

Yamaha's current contract with Petronas expires this season (which was the main reason cited for only offering Rossi a one-year deal) but both parties seem confident of an extension.

However that would still leave the possibility of VR46 acquiring Suzuki machines, for example, with the reigning world champions still seeking a satellite partner. Aprilia is also yet to find a customer team.

Nine-time world champion Rossi has finished on the MotoGP podium at least once per season since his 2000 debut, but hasn't' won a race since Assen 2017.

If VR46 - which is dropping its Moto3 project to concentrate on Moto2 and Marini this season - does enter MotoGP in 2022, and Rossi wishes to race on, it would not be beyond the realms of possibilty that The Doctor could be one of its riders.