05/09/2009
NEWS STORY
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MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has revealed that he took part in talks with Ferrari with a view to driving the Maranello outfit's second car at Monza next weekend.
However, talking to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian admitted that with no opportunity to test the car ahead of the race the idea wasn't practical.
"I talked with Ferrari about racing at Monza," he said. "But without testing it would not have been logical."
The in-season test ban, introduced by the teams in a bid to drive down spending, has already proved a problem this year with Jaime Alguersuari and Romain Grosjean both called up by F1 teams despite limited running in this year's car, indeed, the Spanish driver only took part in a straight-line session before making his debut for Toro Rosso.
When Michael Schumacher was called up to replace Felipe Massa, the German took part in a private test with a 2007 car, however, a test with the 2009 contender was ruled out following protests from the Red Bull teams and Williams. Subsequently, the 7-time champion ruled out a return to racing citing a neck injury incurred earlier in the year in a bike accident.
The in-season testing ban, while keeping down (test) costs, has proved problematic, with upcoming drivers wondering how they will ever gain experience.
"We decided that to enter Formula One without testing is more risky than fun," said Rossi. "You cannot go there and do everything to understand the car in three days.
"I also don't know if I could have finished the race with my neck," he admitted. "Also, because we're fighting for the MotoGP championship, the race at Monza would definitely have been a big stress and it's better to stay in MotoGP."
Previously, Rossi has tested on a number of occasions with the Maranello outfit, with mounting speculation in 2006 that he was on the verge of following John Surtees' example and switching from two wheels to four, however, the Italian legend finally opted to stick with MotoGP, going on to add the 2008 title to his already impressive tally.
This weekend, the Italian is in action at Imola, and with four more rounds of the 2009 championship remaining, enjoys a 25 point lead over fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo.