Goal is to race for two years: Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi is a special figure in motorsport. He has won nine World Championships and is the only man to have competed in over 400 Grand Prix.
This week, the 42-year-old races in his native Italian MotoGP race in what is his 26th year as a competitor. He is not a favourite to win, but always goes well here and is the most popular person in town.
Excerpts from an interview:
Why the switch to Sepang Racing Team for this season?
For the factory team, they chose (Maverick) Vinales and (Fabio) Quartararo.I understood why, but I went and said: ‘Are you going to leave me without a ride?’ They couldn’t say no, so here I am riding for Sepang Racing Team. It is so much fun, it’s like going to play football with friends on Monday nights, only we race on track on Sunday’s.
Does your one-year contract mean this will be your last?
That is not how I am thinking. Officially the contract is for a year, but my goal is to race two more years. It will depend on how things go in 2021. If I have fun, fighting for wins and podiums, staying in the top-five, then I will continue.
Are things going well enough so far?
We are not winning but the signs are promising. I felt in the last race in Le Mans we would do better, but the wet weather had a big impact on us. Testing in Jerez showed we can be quick but now we have to show that on a Sunday.
I did better in the last race in Le Mans but the poor weather conditions in the race were very difficult for everyone. Here we will have to see what my speed is like in the weekend but I can assure everyone I will be doing my very best to get the most from myself and my bike.
How have all the riders reacted to Marc Marquez’s injury problems and coping with Covid situation?
I can see, in his (Marquez) absence, the other guys have grown a lot. And they’re not afraid of him anymore. We all know we are very privileged to be fit and racing. That applies especially more now as we have also had the opportunity to get vaccinated.