Rossi: Nobody knows what will happen in Argentina

Valentino Rossi won't be surprised to see the Qatar MotoGP order shaken-up again next time out in Argentina.

Both Rossi and team-mate Maverick Vinales were able to turn around a poor qualifying to set a competitive pace in the season-opening race.

The Italian fought his way from eighth to third, behind only Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) and Marc Marquez (Honda), with Vinales rising from a low of 15th to sixth position.

Did it prove that Yamaha had found something for the race?

"First of all, in qualifying I was not very happy about the balance of the bike because we tried some modifications to save the front tyre. And yes, we could save the front tyre but after we lose the speed," Rossi said.

"So in the race I say, 'we try everything to go fast'. And if the tyre resist, resist. If not, 'ciao'…

"But also we made a good step in warm-up. We improved the traction on the exit of the corners and also I think that we work well with the electronics, yes.

"You know, the good and the bad is that from one track to the other, the difference - the balance - between the bikes will be big also this year.

"So, nobody knows what’s happening in Argentina…"

The main reason for the shift in fortunes will be down to how well each bike suits the type of hard, medium and soft tyres selected for use at a particular circuit.

"For me now [the choice between] the Michelin tyres is more about the bike than the rider," Rossi said.

"Dani and Marc put the hard front because it’s the best tyre for the Honda. All the Yamahas go with the medium because it’s best tyre for our bike.

"So [tyre choice] depends more from the factory than the riding style. I tried a lot the hard front, but I was too slow."

Yamaha finished first and second in last year's Argentina round, with Rossi crossing the line 2.9s behind Vinales. LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow was third after the likes of Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso failed to finish.

Free practice for the 2018 event starts on April 6.