---
title: "Rossi ‘confident’ despite difficult pre-season"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/03/22/rossi-confident-despite-difficult-pre-season/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "MotoGP News"
published: "2017-03-22T13:01:39Z"
modified: "2017-03-22T13:02:12Z"
---

# Rossi ‘confident’ despite difficult pre-season

Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi says he is ‘confident’ he and his team will be competitive in this weekend’s season-opener in Qatar despite a tough pre-season.

The nine-times world champion Italian, entering his 22nd year of grand prix racing, has so far found life on the 2017 YZR-M1 difficult.

So much so, in fact, that at the end of the final test last week, Rossi admitted he was ‘worried’ about his pace and ‘still not ready’ for the first race.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/652554708.jpg)

Rossi appeared to make a breakthrough on the penultimate day of running in Qatar, but his front-end issues, brought about by Michelin’s use of softer front compounds, reappeared the following day.

However, by his own admission, the 2017 Yamaha has still made decent progress over the winter.

The Japanese marque introduced various positive upgrades, such as a better engine, as well as a chassis that has seemingly cured the rear tyre life problems that plagued them throughout 2016.

“I’m very happy that the season finally starts,” he said.

“Our bike has improved a lot during the winter and, although we are not yet OK, we will work hard during the next few days in Qatar to be ready for the start of the first race of the season.”

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/03/652149908.jpg)

The 5.4km Losail International Circuit has proven to be a happy hunting ground for the Yamaha rider over the years, with Rossi tallying up four wins and four other podium finishes.

Though still facing a mammoth task to get his new bike set-up to allow him to be competitive, Rossi is convinced his team will be able to turn things around for him ahead of Sunday’s 22-lap curtain-raiser.

“We will see what the weather conditions will be like and then we will try to find the best set-up possible. I’m confident that together with the team we will be ready for Sunday.”