MotoGP champ Rossi says no to Formula One
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-05-25 11:22
MONACO, May 24 - MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi turned his back on a
career in Formula One on Wednesday and pledged his immediate future to racing on
two wheels.
"No Formula One, at least for the moment. I'm staying with bikes," the
charismatic 27-year-old told the Italian news agency ANSA. "I will carry on
racing in MotoGP for a while yet."
Rossi, as dominant in MotoGP as Michael Schumacher was in Formula One, had
been courted by Ferrari and impressed in tests with the glamour team.
The Italian's decision not to try and follow in the footsteps of Briton John
Surtees, the motorcycle world champion who won the Formula One crown with
Ferrari in 1964, ended a long guessing game about his future.
Ferrari are waiting to hear whether seven times world champion Schumacher,
now 37, wants to continue in 2007 and have been linked to McLaren's Finnish
driver Kimi Raikkonen.
With Rossi out of the picture, Ferrari's 2007 lineup is likely to be
Raikkonen -- if the rumours are true -- with either Schumacher or his Brazilian
team mate Felipe Massa.
Rossi, champion for the last five seasons, thanked Ferrari for giving him the
opportunity to try out a Formula One car in test conditions, saying it was "a
beautiful experience".
"I believe my work in motorcycling is not yet finished: I still have so much
to do and will carry on in MotoGP for a while," added the Yamaha rider in a
statement to ANSA.
"I hope Ferrari achieve their target and that it coincides with mine -- to
win the world championship."
WORST START
Rossi has endured his worst start to a season and is languishing in eighth
place after five races.
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