Yamaha expected more tension between Rossi and Lorenzo

When Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo were together in Yamaha’s factory MotoGP squad between 2008 and 2010, you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.
They barely spoke, a wall split them inside the garage and there was a ban on the sharing of data.

So when Yamaha decided to rescue Rossi from his Ducati nightmare for 2013, there was an expectation that the tension and animosity that dominated their previous spell together would be re-ignited.

The reality has been the opposite. Rossi and Lorenzo frequently communicate inside Yamaha’s garage to improve the YZR-M1 and their relationship has clearly mellowed.

The fact their relationship in 2013 has so far remained trouble and tension free has even been something of a surprise to Yamaha management, with the Japanese factory’s MotoGP boss Lin Jarvis telling MCN in a recent interview: “Probably it has been a bit of a surprise.

It was our biggest concern prior to taking the decision that put them back together. We didn’t want to create any difficulties in the balance of the team. From day one we have not experienced any issue and they are working well together. They are not going to be friends because they are a different ago group and culture but in terms of professional focus both are absolutely dedicated to the job and both have realised they can benefit from each other’s input. “