Obviously highly scrutinized, the debut of Valentino Rossi in the BMW M Hybrid V8 allowed the Moto GP legend to deliver a most convincing performance yesterday on the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain.
Discreet in the morning in terms of timing, the Italian increased the tempo in the afternoon to finish 0″172 behind the reference of Jules Gounon (Alpine). Long eager to try his hand at piloting the last- born in Munich, “The Doctor” confesses to having discovered a car that perhaps suits him more than the GT3s in which he has been racing since his time on four wheels.
“I had a good feeling with the car from the start, admits Rossi. The car has plenty of power, but you get good feedback when you drive. You understand the car, it is very sensitive and I really like the braking without ABS. Sure, you make mistakes, but you can adapt it to your style. It’s a real racing car. It is more precise, more rigid, and you have a lot of aerodynamics, the braking is impressive and the engine powerful. »
The Hypercar trajectory is closer to that of a motorcycle because you stay on the track. With the GT you have to shut everything off, especially inside, so it’s a different way to drive. It looks like the motorcycle. The speed is higher, but there’s more grip, so that’s very good. I was alone in the car, the guys with me, like René Rast, gave me a lot of advice so I could improve during the day.
Everyone tells me that the Hypercar is complicated, but honestly, with the simulator, we worked on all the systems to understand them, and in general, the car is not very complicated. She is very natural. The problem is when you have to save energy, with long runs, you press the buttons, you save fuel and energy, and that’s where the complication becomes. »
Engaged in GT for several seasons with Team WRT, first with Audi and then with BMW, Valentino Rossi believes that he will be “difficult to find the GT” after this ride, he who also spoke about his future on the sidelines of this Rookie Test.
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