Rossi to return for rest of European MotoGP weekend
Valentino Rossi has been cleared to return to MotoGP action at the European Grand Prix from Saturday after passing his second COVID-19 test in 24 hours.

The nine-time grand prix motorcycle world champion was forced to miss the Aragon double-header last month after testing positive for the virus at home in Italy ahead of the Aragon GP.
The Yamaha rider once again tested positive for the virus on Tuesday of this week, which prompted the Japanese manufacturer to put World Superbike rider Garrett Gerloff on standby as his replacement.
Rossi did pass a COVID-19 test in Italy on Thursday and could leave his quarantine to head to Valencia, where he underwent a second PCR test this morning.
Due to the time needed to process the result, Rossi was forced to sit on the sidelines for Friday’s running at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit.
But Yamaha has now confirmed that he will take part in rest of the European GP weekend, starting with FP3 on Saturday.
Gerloff did get to taste MotoGP machinery on Friday in place of Rossi, ending the wet FP1 session a respectable 16th, and was just 1.5 seconds off the pace in the drying FP2.
These sessions marked the first appearance for an American rider in MotoGP since the late Nicky Hayden stood in for the injured Dani Pedrosa at Phillip Island back in 2016.
Gerloff’s impressive run in the afternoon session put him inside the top five at one stage before he was shuffled back down the order.
The American made his WSBK debut with Yamaha’s satellite squad GRT in 2020 and managed three podium finishes at the Catalunya and Estoril rounds to end up 11th in the championship.
Rossi will return to action amidst a storm of controversy at Yamaha, after it was found guilty of running illegal engines at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Yamaha broke the engine freeze rule ahead of the first Jerez round to fit new valves to its some of its engines on reliability grounds.
But having not gained unanimous support from the manufacturers’ association to make such a change – which Yamaha called an “internal oversight” – this contravened the rules and the Japanese marques was docked 50 constructors’ championship points, while the factory squad and Petronas SRT were stripped of 20 and 37 teams’ title points.
Yamaha insists it did not unseal its engines with any “malintent”, and that the valves they swapped were of identical design to the ones homologated pre-season.
To add to this, Maverick Vinales will have to start from pitlane on Sunday at Valencia after Yamaha was forced to exceed his engine allocation and fit a sixth motor.
Related video

Previous article
European MotoGP: Miller stays on top in FP2 on drying track
Next article
Yamaha 'throwing title away' every year with mistakes - Vinales

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Event | European GP |
Drivers | Valentino Rossi , Garrett Gerloff |
Teams | Yamaha Factory Racing |
Author | Lewis Duncan |
Rossi to return for rest of European MotoGP weekend
Trending
Repsol Honda Team - Pol Espargaró Q&A
Repsol Honda Team - Marc Marquez Q&A
Why Alex Marquez doesn't care about 'shutting up' MotoGP critics
Alex Marquez's form was one of MotoGP 2020's biggest surprises and, by firmly stepping out of his six-time world champion brother Marc's shadow, he proved a few people wrong. Not that he cares about this, as he tells Lewis Duncan
How Yamaha's new MotoGP era can unchain Vinales
After the electrifying start to his Yamaha MotoGP career in 2017, Maverick Vinales has struggled for consistency. Many anticipate that the arrival of Fabio Quartararo could spell disaster, but the departure of Valentino Rossi could be just the impetus he needs.
Does KTM really need 'super engine' for MotoGP title challenge?
Fears from rival MotoGP manufacturers that KTM would build a 'super engine' for 2021 have ultimately come to nothing with the revealation that the RC16 hasn't been radically changed over the winter. But does it really need that to win the title?
How Ducati's latest Aussie union can return it to MotoGP glory
Australians on Ducatis is an iconic partnership, the marque's last one yielding its sole MotoGP crown to date. But its latest Aussie union with the often underestimated Jack Miller can end this drought.
The "balls out" battle between MotoGP's true greats
Senna vs Prost is regularly cited as motorsport's greatest rivalry. But it can easily be argued Rainey vs Schwantz can stake that claim. That rivalry was in full swing during the 1991 500cc season, remembered fondly by both stars 30 years on...
The "warrior" MotoGP rookie KTM was right to back
The 2020 MotoGP campaign featured a standout pair of rookies, but one flew under the radar as he adjusted to a shock step-up armed with very little racing experience. However as his veteran team boss explains, the faith shown in him was not misplaced
Why Suzuki's Brivio replacement must come from within
With its charismatic leader Davide Brivio leaving for Formula 1, the Suzuki MotoGP squad he turned into a world championship-winning force in 2020 has a major recruitment headache that it needs to resolve carefully.
Why Alpine's latest signing could be its best hope of F1 glory
The return of Fernando Alonso to the renamed Alpine team is a sure sign of the team's ambition. But its latest appointment from MotoGP could be an even bigger coup as it seeks to end a barren run stretching back to Alonso's 2006 world title