Editing Valentino Rossi (section)

=====2018=====
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Before the start of the season-opening race in Qatar, Rossi announced he had extended his contract in the Factory Yamaha team until 2020, when he will be 41 years old.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/891552/1/valentino-rossi-resigns-yamaha |title=Valentino Rossi re-signs for Yamaha|date=15 March 2018|website=Crash}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2018/03/15/rossi-signs-new-two-year-deal-with-movistar-yamaha/251856 |title=Rossi signs new two-year deal with Movistar Yamaha|website=motogp.com|date=15 March 2018 }}</ref>

During the pre-season tests, Rossi and Viñales once again struggled with their 2018 Yamaha YZR-M1 competitor. Both riders were concerned about corner-entry and corner-exit issues as well as the lack of traction and tyre temperature.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/opinion/motogp/whats-going-yamaha |title=What's going on in Yamaha?|date=20 February 2018|website=Motor Sport Magazine|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref>

In the first round in [[2018 Qatar motorcycle Grand Prix|Qatar]], Rossi started off well by getting a first podium of the season in the form of third place. He had a good start from eighth on the grid to move up to fourth on the opening lap, overtook the Honda of Dani Pedrosa on the second lap and made his move on the other Honda of Marc Márquez with 17 laps to go. However, he went wide in turn one on lap 11 and allowed Márquez and Andrea Dovizioso past. With five laps to go, Rossi muscled his way past the Tech 3 Yamaha of Johann Zarco but eventually couldn't get close enough and crossed the line 0.797 seconds behind eventual race winner Dovizioso.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rtrsports.co.uk/blog/rossi-qatar-2018/ |title=Rossi in the Gp of Qatar 2018, Valentino Rossi landed podium in Losail|date=19 March 2018|website=Rtrsports.co.uk|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> In Argentina, Rossi finished outside of the points in nineteenth place after a collision with the Honda of Márquez, who was storming through the field after starting from the back, when his bike stalled as a result of the crash. Márquez went up the inside of multiple riders, clashing with the Aprilia of [[Aleix Espargaró]] first and later with Rossi. When the Spaniard misjudged the braking point, he forced Rossi to go wide, making him clip the grass and fall in the process. Rossi eventually got going again, but failed to score any points afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2018/04/08/crutchlow-on-top-as-the-title-fight-explodes-in-argentina/254628 |title=Crutchlow on top as the title fight explodes in Argentina|website=Motogp.com|date=8 April 2018 |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> After the race, Rossi accused Márquez of "destroying our sport" because he "doesn't have any respect for his rivals" and Márquez received a 30-second penalty for the action.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eurosport.co.uk/moto/gp-argentina/2018/valentino-rossi-marc-marquez-has-destroyed-our-sport_sto6706924/story.shtml |title=Valentino Rossi: Marc Marquez has 'destroyed our sport'|date=9 April 2018|website=Eurosport UK|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> In the following rounds in the [[2018 Motorcycle Grand Prix of the Americas|Americas]] and [[2018 Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix|Spain]], Rossi finished off the podium twice in fourth and fifth place, but he bounced back by scoring three consecutive third-place podiums in the [[2018 French motorcycle Grand Prix|French]], [[2018 Italian motorcycle Grand Prix|Italian]] and [[2018 Catalan motorcycle Grand Prix|Catalan]] rounds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rtrsports.co.uk/blog/valentino-rossi-le-mans/ |title=2018 MotoGP: untamable Rossi takes LeMans podium|date=21 May 2018|website=Rtrsports.co.uk|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/mugello-race-report-lorenzo-marquez-rossi-1044213/3115123/ |title=Mugello MotoGP: Lorenzo gets first Ducati win, Marquez crashes|website=Motorsport.com|date=3 June 2018 |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2018/06/17/mr-consistent-rossi-continues-podium-streak-in-barcelona/262876 |title=Mr consistent: Rossi continues podium streak in Barcelona|website=Motogp.com|date=17 June 2018 |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> In Mugello, he scored his first and only pole position of the season – his first since the 2016 Japanese GP and his 51st MotoGP pole position overall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/897437/1/rossi-surprised-mugello-pole-gains-something-old |title=Rossi surprised by Mugello pole with gains from 'something old'|date=2 June 2018|website=Crash.net|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref>

Rossi only finished fifth in the [[2018 Dutch TT|Dutch]] round but managed to score his first and only second place of the season in [[2018 German motorcycle Grand Prix|Germany]], 2.196 seconds behind winner Márquez, claiming he finished so high on a track that usually doesn't suit the Yamaha's because he "studied everything" from the then-absent [[Jonas Folger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/rossi-studied-folger-race-sachsenring-vinales-1060335/3141931/ |title=Rossi 'studied everything' from Folger's 2017 race|website=Motorsport.com|date=15 July 2018 |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> After his podium finish in the Sachsenring, Rossi finished off the podium again in the [[2018 Czech Republic motorcycle Grand Prix|Czech Republic]] and [[2018 Austrian motorcycle Grand Prix|Austria]] races in fourth and sixth place.

With the race in [[2018 British motorcycle Grand Prix|Great Britain]] cancelled due to heavy rain which failed to drain properly on the newly repaved Silverstone surface, Rossi failed to finish on the podium for five consecutive races.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2018/08/26/silverstone-cancellation-sunday-s-order-of-events/269747 |title=Silverstone cancellation: Sunday's order of events|website=Motogp.com|date=26 August 2018 |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> He finished the San Marino race in seventh, the [[2018 Aragon motorcycle Grand Prix|Aragón]] race in eighth, the [[2018 Thailand motorcycle Grand Prix|Thai]] and Japanese races in fourth and the [[2018 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix|Australian]] race in sixth.

Rossi's best chance in a victory came in the penultimate round of the season in [[2018 Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix|Malaysia]]. He took the lead going into the first corner from P2 after poleman Zarco made a poor start and built up a gap, but Márquez stormed up through the field and the gap between them was 1.1 seconds with ten laps to go. Rossi pushed hard to keep the gap above 1 second but Márquez dipped below to 0.7 seconds with five laps to go. Many were preparing for a Rossi-Márquez battle when Rossi lost the front of his M1 bike with four laps to go in turn 1. Márquez won the race, with Rossi remounting and finishing nineteenth, outside the points.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.motogp.com/en/news/2018/11/04/marquez-wins-in-malaysia-as-rossi-crashes-out-of-the-lead/277811 |title=Marquez wins in Malaysia as Rossi crashes out of the lead|website=Motogp.com|date=4 November 2018 |access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> In the [[2018 Valencian Community motorcycle Grand Prix|Valencian Community]] round, Rossi moved up the order from sixteenth on the grid in the wet conditions, being helped by some of the front runners crashing out in the ever-worsening conditions. When the race was stopped, Rossi was forced to use a used rear tyre, which he claimed "made the difference" as he was "more in trouble with the rear". As the race restarted, Rossi crashed out of second place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/910722/1/rossi-valencia-crash-st-emotion |title=Rossi on Valencia crash: A s**t emotion|date=19 November 2018|website=Crash.net|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref>

Rossi finished third in the championship with 198 points, 123 points behind champion Marc Márquez. This was Rossi's first winless season since 2012 when he raced with Ducati and his first ever winless season with the Factory Yamaha team.