When Rossi moved to Yamaha 2 years ago, everyone was wondering how he would do on a bike that seemed to need a lot of work. He answered that question quite nicely and is doing so again this year. The director of Yamaha’s racing program acknowledged Rossi’s huge contribution to their effort when he spoke of his return for another year. I can imagine they all breathed a sigh of relief to know he would be on the team for another year, especially now that stories of his probable move to Ferrari are appearing everywhere.
With all of the money and technology available to factory teams it’s pretty neat to know the skill and experience of one person can have such a dramatic impact. Of course, he took a lot of team members with him when he moved and everyone works together very well. Still, his riding makes the difference. It seems Rossi is already matching current F1 drivers in the slow turns and he’s working on the high speed turns during his Ferrari practice sessions indicating he may just be one of those extremely talented racers that comes along every now and then. It’s definitely not all technology.
aaron says
the opposing view is that with all the electronic driving aids used in formula one now, even a sub par driver can make these cars perform near their limits. i disagree, with even a highly rated driver like montoya being consistantly upstaged by his teammate. the “flying finn” shows that drivers do count. (and rossi truly IS a genius). i’m disappointed that i may miss seeing him work his two wheeled magic in person as the budget and schedule may not allow a motogp ticket next year.