In a season that is still only three races old, the World Champion Valentino Rossi has twice finished behind his team-mate. It must be frustrating for the Italian, perhaps even sowing the seeds of doubt.
How is it that last time out at the French GP, despite riding identical Yamaha M1s, Rossi finished so far behind race winner Jorge Lorenzo?
The lap charts reveal that for the first half of the race their times were almost identical, then Rossi's fluctuate wildly – at one stage he was 1.6 seconds slower than the Spaniard.
Valentino is clearly still suffering from his motocross-mangled shoulder, and the remorseless braking forces of a race had to take their toll. For all Rossi's superhuman feats, his shoulder ligaments are those of a mere mortal, which means they take far longer to heal than muscle. Don't be surprised if his rehabilitation takes 12 weeks. Lorenzo will be planning his increasingly eccentric victory celebrations with even more conviction.
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