Valentino Rossi reckons a move to satellite Yamaha squad Petronas SRT could be on the cards if it means an extended MotoGP stay.
Rossi-who will compete in his eighth consecutive campaign with Yamaha since returning from a short-lived stint at Ducati-struggled for speed and results during ’19, managing to stand on the rostrum just twice, while his winless streak stretches back as far as the ’17 edition of the Dutch TT.
Fabio Quartararo – who completed his rookie premier class season with the SRT team last year – meanwhile made waves as he stormed to six pole positions and seven podiums on his way to fifth overall in the riders standings, two positions and 18 points clear of Rossi.
The Frenchman has therefore been linked to a promotion within the factory Yamaha set-up next year, with Rossi admitting a straight swap with Quartararo would be appealing should he find his time with the outfit coming to an end.
“I don’t see all that much difference to go to Petronas,” said Rossi to Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I would prefer to stay where I am, but we are three riders for two places, so you have to think of a third (place).
“And for me, even if it’s Petronas, it doesn’t seem like such a bad team. But maybe Vinales will go, or Quartararo changes bike, who knows.”
“I will need some time to understand, around mid-season. I’ll talk to (Yamaha team boss Lin) Jarvis and Yamaha to see what they think.
“Unfortunately, in today’s MotoGP, everything is decided at the beginning of the year.”
