Randy Mamola: Rossi's genius performance a message to Yamaha

Initially this column was going to have a different protagonist, but the race we enjoyed on Sunday has forced me to change the script. It's the least that Valentino deserves after what he did at Jerez – not just taking pole and victory, but delivering a message.

It's true that the conditions at 2pm on Sunday probably favoured him more than anyone else, but that doesn't take away anything from what he achieved. No one in his right mind would cast a doubt on Rossi's magic, but last Sunday's victory elevates him to the status of genius. We have to keep in mind that we are talking about someone who has won everything, and who is also 37 years old.

Besides what he did on track, what I find more fascinating is what he did off it.

Like most fans, I follow social media, and that has allowed me to see a key aspect of his strategy in terms of the motivational training he undertakes. At home, Valentino surrounds himself with teenage hopefuls and competes against them.

Imagine for a moment what an 18-year-old Moto3 rider wants to do when he's racing against the greatest. The only thing he wants is to beat him so he can show the talent within him. That elevates the competition of these training sessions - which take place on a gravel track and with very powerful bikes - to the highest level. Oddly enough, those are quite similar to the conditions under which he raced at Jerez.

The race was 32 seconds slower than last year, and that was basically down to the lack of grip suffered by most. The temperatures rose a lot on Sunday and the tyres, with a harder carcass, struggled because they didn't stop spinning. But there's an element which becomes key here: the winglets. Everybody talks about them when the subject of safety comes up, and at Jerez they had a very obvious impact on the results.

One of the main objectives of the winglets is to stop the front tyre from lifting under acceleration. This helps reduce the effect of the anti-wheelie system, so the engine pushes more. On a slippery surface, the rear tyre slides more.

We must not forget that the bikes which struggled the most were the most powerful ones. For instance, the Suzukis had a pretty good race (fifth and sixth), and the same happened to the 2014-spec Ducatis of Laverty (ninth) and Barbera (10th).

Having said that, Valentino was the man who coped best with these conditions, the Italian using all his experience and resources at his disposal. And, most likely, the news of Jorge Lorenzo's move to Ducati had a clear influence.

Rossi's message was to give it all to show Yamaha that it has not made a mistake in betting on him – to make it clear that, apart from selling bikes, he is still strong enough to fight for victories.

Probably, looking at how the championship had gone until now, no one expected that. Not even Marc and Jorge, who are now asking themselves the same question as us: Will Vale be able to repeat that?

We'll have part of the answer at Le Mans in two weeks' time.