– When Valentino Rossi visits a MotoGP weekend, the fuss around him is always huge. Fans celebrate him and try to get an autograph or a photo. TV stations and journalists strive for interviews to get his assessments and expertise.
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But a visit from the boss is also very valuable for the VR46 team. When Rossi was last on site in Barcelona, Fabio Di Giannantonio described in detail how the nine-time motorcycle world champion can help.
“He has an incredible eye,” says “Diggia” full of fascination and admiration. “I mean, I don’t have to say anything about him as a rider. That speaks for itself. But this eye he has is amazing.”
“I am surprised every time because he sees things that you would normally only recognize in the data. And he sees these things and you think: How can you actually be on the track with me?”
Usually, Rossi does not follow the training and races on TV in the box, but rides a scooter on the connecting paths of the track and observes the action from behind the guardrail.
“He is able to see many things,” emphasizes Di Giannantonio. “That is really interesting, really helpful, and a great opportunity for me to learn and improve when Vale is there.”
“That’s also why I asked so often this year: When are you coming, when are you coming, when are you coming back? Not just because of his mere presence, which is already huge, because the energy he brings is incredible.”
“But because you can really improve enormously with Vale in the box.” However, the motorcycles have changed a lot since Rossi’s retirement at the end of 2021. This mainly concerns the effects of aerodynamics.
Can Rossi understand what riding with today’s aerodynamics feels like? Di Giannantonio sees no problem with that: “If you give him a little hint, he immediately recognizes everything on the track.”
“It’s as if he has this extraordinary ability to immediately understand what is new and what he himself has not yet tried. You explain it to him, and he immediately understands it.”
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“When you then get feedback [from him], it is exactly right – as if he had ridden himself. You just think: How does he actually do that? That is really incredible.”
Di Giannantonio won the first Grand Prix for VR46 since September 2023 in Barcelona. Since Rossi followed the race from the trackside, he congratulated his rider in the cool-down lap.
Morbidelli: Rossi counts among the five best athletes of all time
In the other corner of the VR46 box, the season has been more difficult so far. Franco Morbidelli shone in Barcelona with second place on the grid, but in the races he does not reach the level of “Diggia”.
Has Rossi been able to help him during his presence? “He has more time at a Grand Prix to personally take care of you as a rider. He goes to the track and analyzes every movement.”
“He sees so many things and details. He gives you a lot of information, fresh input, and new ideas,” says Morbidelli. “That is very good and helps me especially. He is definitely able to see and analyze details that few others recognize.”
“He says he sees that I have problems – when turning in and at the corner exit. He recognizes that, and he helps me a lot to drive the lines on the track as best as possible to achieve the best performance.”
Morbidelli also shares Di Giannantonio’s assessment that Rossi sees things that hardly anyone else recognizes: “Because he is a genius on the motorcycle. If you are a genius, you can do things that are hard to understand.”
When asked if Rossi counts among the ten best athletes of all time, Morbidelli answers: “Without a doubt. I go even further: I would put him in the top 5 of the best of all time.”
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“I put Michael Jordan in first place, Lionel Messi in second, Valentino Rossi in third, then Mike Tyson and then the golfer: Tiger Woods. That is my list – Vale on the podium,” says Morbidelli.
