---
title: "Dismal qualifying for Rossi"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2016/10/22/dismal-qualifying-rossi/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "MotoGP News"
published: "2016-10-22T09:43:47Z"
modified: "2016-10-22T09:43:47Z"
---

# Dismal qualifying for Rossi

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi endured his worst qualifying session since the 2011 German Grand Prix today in Phillip Island, the Italian mired down on the fifth row of the grid.

The day didn’t start off well for Rossi, and in fact the entire weekend has been largely forgettable. He came into Saturday’s crucial FP3 down in 20th after having his best laps from FP1 cancelled due to a tyre infringement. Luckily, the weather wasn’t as bad as it was on Friday and improvements in lap times could be made. Rossi managed a 1m35.463s in FP3, which was only good enough for 12th and saw him facing QP1.

The rain had abated by the time qualifying got underway but the track was still damp, and the times were changing with each flying lap completed. At one stage, Rossi was on course to head into QP2 but found himself down in fifth as the final minutes approached. A late call to switch to intermediate tyres did not yield the desired effect, and Rossi was stuck in 15th on a 1m40.368s.

Rossi is resigned to the fact that starting from so far back makes fighting for the win ‘quite impossible’, and has expressed his concern over the Yamaha’s pace in the cold conditions. Nonetheless, the eight-time Phillip Island race winner hasn’t given up hope just yet.

“It was a very strange day when it comes to the conditions, because they changed continuously and unfortunately we were never strong starting from this morning. We are a little bit worried because, though we know in these conditions it is difficult for everybody, I never felt the right feeling on the wet and the dry,” explained Rossi.

“Yesterday morning we started quite well, but today we had some problems so we start towards the back of the grid. We hope for better conditions because it looks like with our bike we suffer a bit. It depends very much on the pace what happens tomorrow, it looks like when it is very cold we struggle to get the tyres up to temperature and the bike becomes very difficult to ride. Starting from fifteenth is a problem for sure, if you want to try to win it is quite impossible, but if you are fast you can do a good race. So this is what we have to try.”