Rossi expecting Petronas contract but in no rush to seal deal

Valentino Rossi has revealed his new MotoGP™ contract with Petronas Yamaha could be announced this weekend, yet the seven-time champion is in no rush.

Rossi's seat at the works Yamaha team will be taken by Fabio Quartararo after the end of the current season, but the Italian is set to in turn replace the title contender with the Malaysian outfit.

According to Rossi, a deal for 2021 has been agreed in recent weeks but there is still "something to fix".

The 41-year-old had initially intended to delay a decision on his future through the opening weeks of the season before the coronavirus pandemic, however.

And he remains willing to wait before making a final call on his future.

"We will try to sign during the weekend," Rossi said ahead of the Catalan Grand Prix. "Between the Misano races, we fixed everything, also in the last days.

"The situation is very clear, I will race with Petronas next year, but the contract is a little bit long and there's something to fix.

"But we're not in a rush because we already agree. I think during this weekend I will sign the contract and I'm very happy to continue next year with Yamaha and Petronas."

He added to Motorsport.com: "For me, sometimes in MotoGP™ we will sign the contract for the next year too early.

"A lot of times you already start to think about the next season before thinking about the current season. I think that day by day, step by step, everybody signs earlier. For example, we sign a lot earlier than in Formula 1.

"So, I was agreed with Yamaha and also with Petronas - we already spoke from Jerez - but because we are okay, we don't make [a decision] in a hurry.

"It's an important contract, so we have something to fix: technical, the bike and also the team, because I think some people move from Petronas to factory with Quartararo, and the opposite.

"But in general, we are not in a hurry. We arrive here and I'm happy."