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#3 Rossi to improve with a podium finish?
The opening race in Qatar could have been a better weekend for Valentino Rossi and his team, Yamaha Motor Racing.
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Okay, 5th place is still a good finish for many riders but Rossi and Yamaha may have been a little concerned after finishing behind Cal Crutchlow of Honda and Alex Rins from Suzuki.
Rossi's teammate Maverick Vinales finished two places behind the Italian in 7th place.
It is of course very early days in the 2019 MotoGP season but the race for that first win starts now for the Yamaha group.
Yamaha looked okay in Friday's practice as Rossi was 6th fastest with Dovizioso topping the charts in FP2.
2019 could be a year of maybes for Rossi and Yamaha as no one seems to be sure if they can compete for both championships.
We shall see in the next few races.
