The official Yamaha Factory Racing team and multi-champion Valentino Rossi have agreed to take time for the Italian driver to make a decision about his future.

According to a statement from Yamaha, it will be the personal position of the runner that defines the situation, which should take midway through the 2020 season in which it will continue to compete within the official structure for the fifteenth year.

Rossi has asked for this margin to check his status this coming season and if he remains competitive. If you decide to continue as a MotoGP rider, Yamaha has assured you that it will provide you with a motorcycle with factory specifications and full engineering support, although the pilots of the official structure from 2021 will be the Spanish Maverick Viñales and the French Fabio Quartararo .

Lin Jarvis , director of Yamaha Motor Racing, admitted that "Valentino's decision to verify whether he is competitive in 2020 before making any decision about 2021 is completely understandable," and that it is something that the team "respects and also agrees" .

Valentino Rossi recalled that Yamaha asked him at the beginning of the year to make a decision about his future. "According to what I said last season, I confirmed that I did not want to rush into making any decision and that I needed more time . Yamaha has acted accordingly," the Italian explained.

"After the last technical changes and with the arrival of my new team leader, my first goal is to be competitive this year and continue my career as a MotoGP rider also in 2021, but before doing so I need to have some answers that only the track and the first races can give me, "he said.

"I am very happy because, if I decide to continue, Yamaha will support me in all aspects, giving me a motorcycle with factory specifications and a factory contract," added Rossi, who at 40 years accumulates world titles at 125, 250, 500 and MotoGP (six times of this).

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