Moody Blues: Rossi, Gibernau and Formula One.

In the latest of his exclusive columns for Crash.net, renowned Eurosport MotoGP commentator Toby Moody provides the latest behind the scenes news from Sepang, analyses the Valentino Rossi/Sete Gibernau championship battle and ponders just how committed Rossi would be to any Formula One future...

"The Gibernau Rossi spat is the new Rossi/Biaggi grudge match in MotoGP. But you have to believe that Rossi is going to win the championship unless he is a complete donkey, and he is not going to start doing that now. Or is he? There are some very experienced people who think that he might just drop the ball. But will he?

"Certain incidents in the past have indicated Rossi's advantage; he may have been penalised 10secs at Donington last year, but his win was only relegated to a 3rd place when the penalty was applied after the race had finished. The Philip Island race last year saw him pass under yellows, but he had enough of the race left to pull out more than a 10-second lead to nullify the mid-race penalty.

"(New rule over winter will see him have a ride through penalty, but that changed to 'after you Claude, Sorry I passed you, please pass me back' if a rider realises he has made a pass under yellows, and do it within 3 laps of the indiscretion. Oh please...)

"Sete is very chippy here, but he's got a hell of a lot of work to do. Nine days to go in the championship and this (Friday at Sepang) was only the first of those days. Sete was only 0.071secs ahead of Rossi today and that's not enough to get Rossi lying in bed worrying about it. Rossi does know what a Honda will do around this track as well as his own Yamaha. Sete only knows what a Honda will do. Relatively.

"The race on Sunday is another thing. Whatever Australians (some of the Rossi crew) don't like, they certainly don't like losing, and they will move heaven and earth to overcome the blip of Qatar to probably win two of the remaining three races this season because he just will, he is - as you all know - that flippin good even on a bike that others cannot get to work.

"Tamada/Bridgestone will be strong here as they may be at Philip Island, but the Honda 'out to show VR a lesson for leaving them plan' may not work as Tamada may win here and take a points difference away from Gibernau. 25, 20, 16, 13, 11, 10, 9 etc. ie: If Tamada wins, Sete 2nd and VR 3rd, Sete only gains 4 and not 5, whilst a championship non-contender wins the race. Difficult one for Honda to ask their golden child to stand down.

"However, is Rossi distracted with other things on his mind at present? All this never ending Formula 1 racing chit-chat maybe? Are there talks taking place we don't know about?

"Maybe for a lesser formula of single-seater racing such as the new A1 Racing series set up by the Al Maktoum family of Dubai before leapfrogging into the GP-2 series that is replacing F3000 and then ultimately on to F1. Sponsors would flock. Ecclestone needs someone with more PR charm than the current PR speak machines atop of an F1 podium...

"The trouble is, will Rossi have the inclination, the drive, the driving skill and the discipline to do the car racing thing? The 2002 RAC Rally in a fully funded Peugeot 206 ended in the trees on the first real stage. He has been bike racing for 10 years plus already and has not jumped off an aeroplane since he was 14 years old. He is now 25. The travel schedule of a world famous sportsman is draining.

"As a subtle aside, many sons in motor sport are similar to their fathers' characters. Hill, Roberts, McRae, Foyt and Earnhardt to name a few. Where does Valentino get his 'beyond horizontal' laid back attitude from? Meeting 350cc GP winner Graziano Rossi in the paddock is an experience, not just a relaxed pleasure...

"Does Rossi really want to go racing for just money? Will the managerial geniuses that surround him tell him it is a good idea for the good of his inner being...? Does he really want to go for all that PR work and even more hangers on?

"He said, amongst many other things, that he moved from HRC to avoid PR work. Well, Mr Rossi, I've got news for you about the massively commercial and corporate Formula 1 world, and it's not about turning up perennially late to appointments, press conferences, TV interviews or not even appearing at all for a major career-long sponsor's promotion at their home race last year.

"It is another world away from arriving late to probably more than half of the press conferences this year and not talking to any press on the grid. Care Valentino, the path ahead may not be as easy as it may seem.

"No-one in MotoGP has ever told Rossi what to do, less for HRC. Not even the organisers... Until last weekend (at Qatar) that is. It may be a Rossi/Gibernau grudge match, but let's hope this is not the start of the MotoGP/Rossi grudge match."