VALENTINO ROSSI is keeping his future plans well guarded and will only be close to announcement after MotoGP's summer break at Brno.
The rider market has been the talk of the series since Casey Stoner revealed he would be retiring from the sport at the end of the season, leaving a seat within the factory Honda team. The favourites to take his place included Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Marc Marquez.
However, after Lorenzo committed to Yamaha for another two years, Rossi admitted to GPOne.com that the Spaniard's contract extension will make no difference to him: "I don't think it affects my future at all. It doesn't make a big difference."
Asked when he will make a final decision in the press conference yesterday, Rossi said: "This summer, definitely after Laguna Seca. I think around the time of the Brno race you will know everything."
He was asked whether a return to Yamaha would be on the cards, but responded that he is focussing on getting the Ducati competitive, "I have no idea. For now I'm only thinking about being competitive at Ducati. My first objective is to continue down this road, also in the years to come."
With his troubles at competitiveness on the Ducati, Rossi has been linked to all manner of rides for next season, including his own satellite Yamaha team sponsored by Coca Cola along with a return to Repsol Honda.
