Rossi lashes out at F1

Valentino Rossi

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has lashed out at Formula One, Dorna (head of MotoGP) and Bernie Ecclestone, FOM chief, because this weekend’s MotoGP round in Malaysia, being held in the same time zone as the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix, will be raced at a time when the monsoonal weather is likely to hit.

Formula One experienced for themselves that running the event too late in the afternoon saw drivers forced to cope with Monsoonal weather conditions and the event was actually stopped just over half way. This year it was put back an hour so that they would miss the heavy rain and see the race through to the end.

However, due to the fact that Formula One is racing in Japan on the same weekend that Moto is being run in Malaysia, means that the two are clashing, television audience wise and Moto is being left out in the cold as a result, something Rossi is far from happy about.

"Racing at four in the afternoon in Malaysia instead of 2 o'clock is crazy," Rossi is quoted as saying in the Gazetta dello sport. "Everyone knows by now that around the same time here, usually about 15.30, it always rains. It's almost like we're just there hanging about waiting for it to start. We always end up kowtowing the all-powerful Formula 1 that couldn't care less about us at the MotoGP and that's not scared of anything. We're the ones that are scared! At 2pm, there's a 90% chance that it won't rain whereas at 4pm there's a 90% chance it will. It really is pathetic."

"Last year I was gunning for the World Championship and I was really afraid. The race started at 4pm, I started in pole and was out in the lead. Then a few laps later we had to stop the race and start over with the rain setup. The organizers should have taken this into consideration and think a bit less about the TV."

Rossi has tried discussing the situation with Dorna president Carmelo Ezpeleta and offered to speak with Bernie Ecclestone about it, but has not received any positive feedback, either way….

"I've pointed it out loads of times. I also told him that I'll talk to Bernie if he wants, but he made a face as if to say that Bernie couldn't care less, he's not bothered about what goes on here at the MotoGP because F1 dominates the Italian TV ratings."