Rossi lost ‘confidence’ with turn one crash, finishes P21

Valentino Rossi was last of the four Yamaha riders on day-one of the German MotoGP, as the nine-time world champion finished 21st after suffering a crash at turn one. 

Rossi is the only current MotoGP rider to have won a race at Sachsenring that’s not named Marc Marquez - last of his five wins coming in 2009. 

However, it looks like another tough weekend is in store for the Italian, as a ‘small crash’ at turn one just before the FP2 time-attacks began made ‘me lose confidence’. 

Speaking after Friday’s practice, Rossi said: "It’s very difficult because it is so hot, never been so hot in Germany in all the history; I mean when we race here. 

"In the afternoon we try the harder tyre, the hard front, the hard rear, and in the second exit (second run), my pace was not so bad because I was able to stay in the 22s low. 

"But unfortunately at the end of the run I did a small crash in the turn one. This makes me lose confidence and also I have to change bike. 

"It’s a shame because I feel better with the other bike, and for the time-attack I made a mistake in the last section, if not I can do better. 

"But anyway, it’s very difficult because everybody is very fast and it’s very close. I lose a bit too much in the section three."

In recent years we’ve seen turn 11 - ‘Waterfall’ corner that leads into a steep downhill to turn 12 be a hazardous place for crashes, due to the right side of the tyre getting particularly cold. 

But with higher temperatures today than riders usually experience at Sachsenring, this was one of two reasons why Rossi felt turn 11 allowed riders to carry more speed, while limiting the risk - no riders came undone at the section of the layout.  

"First of all we improve the situation because now the tyre is a double compound, so the right is a lot softer and you feel better the front," added Rossi.  

"But like you said, with more temperature you have less problems and you can make the turn 11 a bit faster. 

"You always have to keep attention because the layout of the track is very strange, but you can make the corner a bit faster."