Rossi's deal with Yamaha runs out at the end of 2010, and the Italian made one thing clear: the team will have to pick between him and teammate Jorge Lorenzo, or else he'll join the Italian outfit at the end of next season.
“Yamaha have to decide between me and Jorge for 2011. I have a great option to join Ducati,” said Rossi in an interview with the BBC, shortly after scoring a runner-up spot in the season finale at Valencia.
Although they managed to keep both riders for the 2010 campaign, Yamaha seems to have failed in securing a friendly spirit between the two in recent months. And it's not because the duo battle for the world title until a couple of races to the finish line, but because each wants a leading status within the team.
While Rossi admitted he was offered a good deal by Ducati for the 2011 season, Lorenzo was also on the verge of leaving Yamaha at the end of the current season. Weeks before signing a one-year extension with FIAT Yamaha Team, the Spaniard was rumored to hold contractual talks with rivals Honda (in order to replace Dani Pedrosa).
In the end, Repsol Honda offered Pedrosa another year of contract (which the Spaniard signed), leaving the door open for a potential Lorenzo move at the end of 2010. Rossi's, Lorenzo's and Pedrosa's deals all run out at the end of next season, so the riders market in the final stages of 2010 is already announcing to be quite explosive.
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