Over our days of behind the scenes at the MotoGP Silverstone and Assen rounds, we had multiple opportunities to observe Jorge Lorenzo and mix with the guys from the Fiat Yamaha team, which is missing Valentino Rossi as if he were of their own flesh and blood. While it’s true that without the Doctor, whether for injury or whether for the rumours of Rossi to Ducati, the future of the team hangs in the balance. Indeed, looking at the television statistics for the MotoGP from Italy, the entire sport is suffering without its most charismatic presence.

While I think Rossi’s timeout and his injury is very good practice for the MotoGP and for Yamaha, in terms of a future retirement of the rider, I had not expected this drastic a fallout. There is a sense of pending dread over the paddock without Rossi, and in general among the fans and spectators, the reason for following the MotoGP has been suddenly removed.

During in our interview with Wilco Zeelenberg, the teammanager didn’t answer our question about whether Jorge Lorenzo could have had his success so far this season if Rossi had still been on the scene. We can only imagine how it must be for the Spanish rider - finally your time comes and no-one cares. What’s more, many believe you couldn’t have been at the top without your teammate being removed through injury.

It must be tough for Lorenzo to be constantly compared to Rossi and know that he’ll never be considered as popular, or as brilliant or competitive. It’s true that Rossi is a champion like no other we’ve seen; he is quite possibly unique across the entire sports spectrum. If I were in Lorenzo’s shoes, though, I’d be really peeved about the constant comparisons and lack of feeling in your own team. I had the medical men trackside at Silverstone say how flat things were without Rossi, I had Fiat Yamaha staff say that Lorenzo was a nice guy but would never be one of them like Rossi, and even Lorenzo’s own team-manager was happy to wax lyrical about the Italian rider.

From what I gather, though, Lorenzo is using this to his advantage - rather than harbouring bitter feelings, he’s out on the track winning races. He’s taken this opportunity with both hands and has wasted no time in showing just how good he is. Rossi might be everybody’s favourite character, but he’s heading towards the end of his career. Lorenzo represents the future of the MotoGP and from what I’ve seen, it’s in very good hands. We didn’t have the chance to meet the Spaniard in person in our reporting live from the MotoGP, but we observed him many times.

Lorenzo will likely never have the same mass crowd appeal as Rossi, but then he’s not quite the extrovert the Italian is, and so it’s natural that he should have a more discreet following. Lorenzo fully impressed me with his grace, attentiveness, apparent listening skills and evident sense of humour that was never used to ridicule anyone. In press conferences at the Fiat Yamaha hospitality tent, Lorenzo gave his full attention to any journalist asking him a question, and frequently stayed afterwards for further exclusive interviews in which he tirelessly answered questions he’s already been asked.

The Rossi-Lorenzo dynamic is being well managed by Yamaha. We’ve got Lorenzo saying he still wants to race with Rossi on the same team, and Zeelenberg saying how wonderful it is for Lorenzo to have the world champion in the box next door. While I don’t believe there’s any genuine bad blood between the two riders, it’s a clever PR ploy to keep everyone happy and maintain the image of a united front.

I would like to see Yamaha support its ’second’ rider more, though. And with the extremely large likelihood of Rossi moving to Ducati, this is their moment to throw their weight behind Lorenzo, who has often had to play second fiddle. He is a dangerous second fiddle though, if Rossi’s supposed discontent at having him as team-mate is anything to go by. That particular situation is a rare indulgence in ego for Rossi and shows that he might not be as comfortable as we all think. Jorge Lorenzo will likely be this year’s champion and we don’t believe it will be his last. It’s time for Yamaha, for the MotoGP and for sports fans around the world to wake up and realise that the Rossi era was never going to last forever. It’s not over yet, but it will be someday.

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