The bizarre reason why Valentino Rossi was blocked from participating in the legends’ parade at the Austrian Grand Prix

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Valentino Rossi made a rare appearance at the Austrian Grand Prix in support of his VR46 Racing riders.

The 46-year-old has a very intense schedule, which dictates that he can only attend a certain number of MotoGP events every season.

Rossi races in the World Endurance Championship and recently took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he failed to finish for the second year running.

Unfortunately, his VR46 team have hit a rough patch of form recently, and soon he must decide on a second rider for 2026, with Franco Morbidelli’s contract expiring soon.

Not long ago, Rossi turned down a major Ducati proposal for his team to run two factory bikes for next season, but he’s happy with their current agreement.

MotoGP saluted Dorna for ‘clip of the year’ after a camera caught Rossi trackside at the Austrian Grand Prix, as old rival Marc Marquez flew past him.

READ MORE: Marco Bezzecchi thanks Valentino Rossi immediately after taking Austrian Grand Prix pole

Valentino Rossi was blocked from Austrian Grand Prix legends’ parade due to contractual reasons

Rossi has refused to make one VR46 rider decision yet because he believes it would be too painful to let go of Morbidelli, despite his recent struggles.

The regulations aren’t set to change until 2027, so keeping some continuity won’t hurt his team too much. There will be other riders sniffing around the seat this time next year, though.

Now it has been four years since Rossi officially retired, following a dismal season with Yamaha SRT, we haven’t seen him in much two-wheeled action since.

Rossi and Marc Marquez share one ‘incredibly important’ trait, but the Italian rider isn’t able to put it to use much nowadays.

In fact, he was blocked from participating in a legends’ parade in Austria due to his contractual commitments to Red Bull, according to Mundo Deportivo.

His ties with the Monster energy drinks company meant that he couldn’t join the likes of Casey Stoner, Giacomo Agostini and Dani Pedrosa on track.

READ MORE: Casey Stoner once recalled how Valentino Rossi had the media ‘wrapped around his finger’ during their MotoGP rivalry

How many MotoGP races will Valentino Rossi attend during the 2025 season?

While it’s not certain exactly which races Rossi will be attending for the rest of the season, how many he will be at in total was discovered earlier in the year.

VR46 admitted in January that he would be at a minimum of six events across the campaign, and he has already been spotted at three.

He has made appearances in Qatar, Mugello and Spielberg, which means that he should be around three more times in the final nine races.

For the likes of his two riders and Marco Bezzecchi, who receive a lot of advice from him, it’s a bonus. For anyone else, it might work against them.