WITH the second round of the 2016 MotoGP championship taking place in Argentina this weekend, Valentino Rossi has said that 'we will have to do better to get on the podium.'
His words come after he missed out on a rostrum finish at the season opener in Qatar. Rossi's fourth place finish in Qatar was the first time he'd been unable to finish in the top three at the Losail circuit since 2012.
Rossi heads to round two at Argentina's Termas de Rio Hondo circuit keen to stand on the podium again, and likely buoyed by his victory there last year where he battled in dramatic fashion with Marc Marquez towards the end of the race.
Speaking about this weekend's race, Rossi said: 'I am very happy to go to Argentina. In this place I have many fans and it's always nice to feel the affection and passion of these people. I have great memories here. Last year it was a great race. It will be difficult to repeat the same result but we will try.
'In Qatar I was not able to go on the podium but it was a good race anyway. We worked well throughout the weekend. In Argentina we will have to do the same thing, but we'll have to do better in the race and try to get on the podium. I really like the Termas track and we will try our best!'
Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli expect to see both Rossi and Lorenzo leading the pack this weekend, but cited the new Michelin tyres as an unknown quantity that could impact results due to Yamaha's lack of testing.
'This year our riders are both in top form so we are expecting another close fight this weekend. We have already gained more knowledge on how well Michelin's tyre life lasts over long distance from the first race. It will be interesting to see how the tyres will perform at this circuit where we haven't done any testing yet.'
Rossi signed a new two-year contract with Yamaha at the fist race of the season, but it's still not clear what Jorge Lorenzo's future plans are.
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