Valentino Rossi explains why he finds watching MotoGP races ‘a disaster’, ‘I suffer’

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Valentino Rossi is now a MotoGP team owner after retiring from Grand Prix racing at the end of 2021. But his sporadic race attendance has drawn some criticism.

It’s been said that Rossi views VR46 solely as a money-making venture, which is why he didn’t appear at the bike launch this winter. He hasn’t been ‘super engaged’, with the team described as an ‘afterthought’.

Rossi delighted Fabio di Giannantonio by attending the Grand Prix of Qatar last month, and he was also present for round five in Jerez. Perhaps his attitude is changing.

Of course, the Doctor has his own racing commitments to attend to. He’s competed in GT and Endurance racing since he departed the premier class.

Now, in an interview on PoretCast, Rossi has aired his mixed feelings on visiting the paddock to spectate.

Valentino Rossi feels ‘really tense’ watching Luca Marini and Francesco Bagnaia

While he may have won seven world championships at the highest level, Rossi used to be ‘really scared’ during race weekends. Only in the moments before a race would he be able to truly focus.

However, as a spectator, that fear doesn’t go away. That’s because Rossi has personal attachments with multiple riders.

His half-brother Luca Marini races for the Honda factory team. And he also has a strong relationship with riders like Francesco Bagnaia and Franco Morbidelli, products of his academy.

“Since I watch the races without doing them, it’s changed a lot,” he explained. “When you race, you’re leaving home focused, then the adrenaline and the concentration rises during the weekend.

“After the warm-up, when Moto3 and especially Moto2 start, you s— yourself, you’re really scared. More than anything, you’re scared of not doing well, of making mistakes, of falling, hurting yourself, throwing the race away.

“Everything changes when you go into the box, and from there you’re really focused, you’re not afraid anymore.

“On the other hand, watching the races from outside is a disaster. I’m always really tense. I have my brother who races, and then I also have other academy drivers who are my friends. I suffer.”

Valentino Rossi misses the one thing that makes MotoGP superior to Formula 1

Later in the podcast, Rossi described Bagnaia and Morbidelli as a ‘pleasure’ to watch. They’re currently third and fourth respectively in the championship, though the former is struggling to ignite his title bid.

“It’s beautiful,” Rossi said. “It gives you a lot. You become younger too. It’s nice to be with them, help them, cheer them on.

“I like to cheer for someone myself. I liked to cheer Pecco and Franco when they were racing in Moto3 or Moto2. I like watching the races more if they are there. If they aren’t there, I watch them, because I’m a big fan, but it gives me less pleasure.”

The 46-year-old continues to get his racing fix on four wheels, but his eyes lit up when he reflected on his Grand Prix career. When it comes to the ‘adrenaline’ on the starting grid, Rossi says MotoGP has no equal – not even Formula 1.

The intra-Ducati battle this year has been viewed by some as a proxy war. Rossi once accused Marc Marquez of ‘destroying’ MotoGP, and the bitterness remains long after the on-track competition came to an end.