Seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi is considering cutting back on his racing participation after the 2024 season.
The 45-year-old veteran racer is re-evaluating his schedule, largely due to personal considerations, particularly the impending birth of his second child. Rossi, who currently competes in both the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE) for BMW, is overwhelmed by the sense of duty to compete in 16 races this year.
The Italian rider explained to the media:
“Sixteen races is too many and I realized that we are in the same situation as MotoGP.
“My partner Francesca is angry because I’m tired and I’m always on the go.
“My goal for 2025 is to run 10-11 races, but I have to decide between GTWCE and WEC.
“One is the World Championship, so there is a special honor to win the title, but in the Stefan Ratel Organization Race (GTWCE), the racing is really great with just the GT3 cars.”
Team principal Vincent Vosse also spoke about Rossi’s future in motorsport:
“Vale wants to reduce the number of races and the only way to do that is to have just one championship.
“That’s the decision you have to make. Is he going to go to WEC or is he going to go to GTWCE?
“It’s still an up in the air question and it’s not clear at this point.
“There are many factors, one being BMW’s performance in WEC, which was not what we expected. Another is Valentino’s FIA driver classification.”
Rossi’s career in MotoGP is legendary. He won nine world championships, seven of them in the premier 500cc/MotoGP class. His dominance in the 2000s was unparalleled, winning titles with both Honda and Yamaha. With 89 wins, 199 podiums and 372 race starts in the premier class, Rossi’s legacy is cemented as one of the all-time greats.
After winning his last 500cc World Championship in 2001, Rossi moved on to the newly formed MotoGP era. He won back-to-back titles with Honda in 2002 and 2003, and enjoyed further success with Yamaha in 2004-2005. Despite facing challenges, including two difficult years at Ducati, Rossi returned to Yamaha in 2013 and showed remarkable longevity by remaining competitive well into his 40s. .
The Italian rider was on the verge of winning his 10th championship in 2015, but he narrowly missed out. Rossi retired from MotoGP in 2021. After retiring, he turned to four-wheel racing and continued his motorsport journey in the FIA World Endurance Championship while managing the MotoGP VR46 team.