Talking to Italy's Tuttosport, Rossi admitted he sees his racing future on four wheels but definitely not in Formula 1. The MotoGP ace is mainly considering a move to rallying, as he had a few outings in the WRC – added to the his Monza Rally experiences – in the past years.
“We had long negotiations (with Ferrari), there was a serious plan for me to be the test driver in 2007 and then to race in 2008. But in the end I decided to stay in motorbikes and now there is no time to look back. When I stop with motorbikes, it would appeal to me to go four wheels for many years. But for formula one it is much too late,” Rossi was quoted as saying by the aforementioned publication.
The Doctor's deal with Yamaha is due to expire at the end of 2010, with the extension of the deal yet to be given a clear verdict. As rumored in the Italian press lately, it seems neither Rossi nor the Japanese manufacturer have yet expressed the desire to continue the collaboration.
However, during Yamaha's presentation of their 2009-spec bike, Rossi revealed he is looking forward to winning a few more world championships before finally quitting on his MotoGP career.
“I have always loved rallying, ever since I was little. It is one of my great passions and it is great to do one when I have the time and the chance. always enjoy it a lot and probably, when I have given up the bikes and when I have the chance to improve and I have more time, I will do more... but it's not a close future, because I still want to race with the bike for a few more years. My principal objective is to win a few more world championships,” said Rossi.
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