Breaking news
MotoGP
Rossi has “more potential” than 2019 with new crew chief
Valentino Rossi admits he has “more potential” this year thanks to the arrival of new Yamaha MotoGP crew chief David Munoz in the winter.
Lewis Duncan
Published: May 3, 2020, 9:04 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Seven-time MotoGP world champion Rossi announced late last season that he would be parting way with then-crew chief Silvano Galbusera, who had been with the Italian since 2014 as replacement for long-time Rossi crew chief Jeremy Burgess.
Galbusera – who now works with Jorge Lorenzo in the Yamaha test team – has had his place taken by Munoz, who previously guided Rossi protege Francesco Baganai to the 2018 Moto2 crown.
Rossi and Munoz began working together in the post-season tests at Valencia and Jerez, and was full of praise for the “different” approach his new crew chief has.
“We did the winter tests together, so Valencia, Jerez, Malaysia and Qatar, and the first impression is very positive,” Rossi said when asked about Munoz.
“He has a different way of working, because David doesn’t have a lot of experience but is a very young chief mechanic.
“I feel good because he has a very good approach, he is always very quiet and also already has a good relationship with the rest of my team, all my mechanics.
“The atmosphere in the team is very positive because everyone is very happy. So, this is for sure a help very much for the results.
“Also, from the technical point of view, he is very ready for anything.
“He knows the bike, he worked during the winter to be ready, and I’m very curious to make a race weekend together because I think we have more potential than last year.”
Read Also:
- Why Rossi joining Petronas looks almost inevitable
- Elias: Rossi still hasn't forgiven me for Estoril '06
Munoz was very much seen as a key factor over the winter in helping Rossi determine whether or not to continue racing past 2020, with it thought a new perspective could unlock more performance from the veteran Italian.
Rossi has lost his seat at the works Yamaha team for 2021 to Fabio Quartararo, but has been guaranteed full support from the Japanese marque at a satellite squad should he choose to continue.
Originally, Rossi wanted to use the opening handful of races to evaluate his performance before making a decision.
While he is yet to take a decision, the delay to the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic has now led Rossi to suggest that he is leaning towards staying for 2021 given he will have to make his next move without having contested any races.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Mir handed two-year Suzuki contract extension
Next article Petronas rules out Rossi/Lorenzo dream combo for 2021
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Lewis Duncan
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
MotoGP
MotoGP Sep 19, 2024
MotoGP 2025: Full rider line-up revealed
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
Jul 5, 2024
A year on from Marquez’s Germany MotoGP meltdown, has Honda improved?
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
MotoGP
MotoGP
German GP
Jul 5, 2024
What’s behind MotoGP’s right-hander chaos in Germany practice?
More from
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi in new autobiography: '2015 still hurts, Marc Marquez wanted me to lose'
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
4 d
Valentino Rossi in new autobiography: '2015 still hurts, Marc Marquez wanted me to lose'
The closest finish in MotoGP history: Toni Elias over Valentino Rossi 20 years ago
MotoGP
MotoGP
Portuguese GP
27 d
The closest finish in MotoGP history: Toni Elias over Valentino Rossi 20 years ago
Marc Marquez to read Valentino Rossi’s new book “when I retire” from MotoGP
MotoGP
MotoGP
San Marino GP
2 mo
Marc Marquez to read Valentino Rossi’s new book “when I retire” from MotoGP
More from
Yamaha Factory Racing
With the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix over, it is time to heal the wounds
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
2 d
With the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix over, it is time to heal the wounds
Carlos Ezpeleta: Qatar GP “noise” left MotoGP unnecessarily exposed
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
5 d
Carlos Ezpeleta: Qatar GP “noise” left MotoGP unnecessarily exposed
Alex Marquez undergoes surgery on his right shoulder and begins recovery at home
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
11 d
Alex Marquez undergoes surgery on his right shoulder and begins recovery at home
Latest news
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 6 h
The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 7 h
‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
8 h
BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
10 h
The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe