I think the possibility is there and I would say that if Rossi was in MM93's head it would have been at this track and not Argentina. In Argentina we saw a very formidable Marquez and he just left everyone for dead.Originally Posted by Gramps
Like I say, I think if he would have held it together he would have won the Austin GP, but I don't think it was going to be by the huge margin as in Argentina. I'm thinking at best, we'd see a 4 or 5 second lead and that was going to be about it.
I agree with you in that he saw he was only three seconds ahead and not leaving everyone behind as before. And yes, seeing Rossi on your pitboard matching lap times, probably made MM93 think about Argentina 2015, when he had around a four second lead and Rossi chewed it down to nothing, passed Marquez and then the rest is history. And yeah, for a track that is supposed to be a given automatic 25 points, a track where he dominates everyone. I'm sure it was getting in his helmet that VR46 was there and not but three seconds behind. He was matching his lap times, so I'm sure that Marquez had to play it again in his mind, "Rossi has found something and he's coming!"
The main difference between Stoner and Marquez for me, is that Stoner was a very clean and fast rider. He focused on riding a flawless race(very similar to Lorenzo) and jumping out to three or four second leads and then just maintaining from that point. Marquez on the other hand, is a dirty rider and goes about things in a whole other way. Stoner and Marquez are two of the fastest riders I've every seen, but both go about their raw speed completely different. Marquez doesn't mind using other riders as bump stops, will dick with another rider's championship and just has a complete disregard for other riders on track when he wants. Other times Marquez is clean and rides well, other times his brain waves bye-bye and he rides like we've seen him.
We never really saw that kind of attitude from Stoner. He wasn't the most resilient when it came to mind games and Rossi was in his head a lot. But you never saw it affect his riding to the point of having disregard for others. He just either performed well and won, or became a basket case and lost.
I think we should wait and see how the first part of the European leg pans out. We've got Jerez, Le Mans, Mugello and Catalunya that I believe are the races where the championship starts to take form and we start to see the real contenders and guys that will have the pace. Jerez has been a disaster for Yamaha in the last two years, but let's not forget what happened there in 2016. Rossi shredded Lorenzo and Marquez in 2016. So he's capable of throwing even the most fastest riders a beating, let's see if the M1 is up to it this year. I think if Rossi can survive Jerez with at least a podium, then the rest of the season will look good for him. If he is able to win in Jerez, then I'd say he's on for very capable shot of a 10th title. I think Rossi wanted that win in Austin, and I believe he needed it. It would have given him loads of confidence. Confidence not so much in his own abilities(cause I know he knows what he can do) but confidence in the M1.
So for Jerez:
Win - means Rossi could be shaping up for a serious charge to a 10th title
Podium - Rossi is in the hunt this year, I believe moreso for wins than a shot at the title
Top 5 - means he's got some work to do and will still be a viable podium challenger but be facing an uphill battle.
Now in my perfect world, if Rossi can go on a win streak and take 3 of the next 4 rounds(specifically winning Mugello and a combo of the other three) then we've got a whole other can of worms that just got opened.
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