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[27/01/06 - 08:55]
Rossi’s F1 decision
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
[/FONT] Later this year, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi will decide whether or not to switch full time to Formula One, his father says.
The 26-year-old Italian is set to test alongside Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and other teams for the first time next week, in a move that perhaps indicates the seriousness of his recent Formula One outings.
“This is his first real F1 trial,” Rossi's father, Graziano - a former motorcycle racer - told the Italian ANSA agency.
Although Valentino himself is often cagey about the F1 speculation, Rossi Snr admitted that his offspring was indeed contemplating the switch.
Graziano added: “I think he'll take until about halfway through this season and then he'll decide one way or another.”
Schumacher also hinted that the bosses at Maranello were similarly serious about Rossi's Grand Prix potential.
Asked about the motorcycle racer's Valencia test, the German said: “It's not really a big deal if Valentino is there or not, but it might be different in the future.”
Team boss Jean Todt, however, can probably sense a feeling in some corners of the sports media that the Rossi-hype is starting to bore.
The Frenchman told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I would rather talk about whether we can catch up with our new car.”
Source GMM
CAPSIS International

Rossi’s F1 decision
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica]
[/FONT] Later this year, MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi will decide whether or not to switch full time to Formula One, his father says.
The 26-year-old Italian is set to test alongside Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and other teams for the first time next week, in a move that perhaps indicates the seriousness of his recent Formula One outings.
“This is his first real F1 trial,” Rossi's father, Graziano - a former motorcycle racer - told the Italian ANSA agency.
Although Valentino himself is often cagey about the F1 speculation, Rossi Snr admitted that his offspring was indeed contemplating the switch.
Graziano added: “I think he'll take until about halfway through this season and then he'll decide one way or another.”
Schumacher also hinted that the bosses at Maranello were similarly serious about Rossi's Grand Prix potential.
Asked about the motorcycle racer's Valencia test, the German said: “It's not really a big deal if Valentino is there or not, but it might be different in the future.”
Team boss Jean Todt, however, can probably sense a feeling in some corners of the sports media that the Rossi-hype is starting to bore.
The Frenchman told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I would rather talk about whether we can catch up with our new car.”
Source GMM
CAPSIS International