BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — World championship leader Valentino Rossi said Saturday he was ready to sign a new two-year deal with Yamaha and had not ruled out competing up until the age of 35 years.
The seven-time world champion from Italy said that there remained "several details to examine" before he finally put pen to paper.
"My idea is to continue with Yamaha. Even if it's not still official we're very close to signing and I'm going to extend my contract for two years," said Rossi ahead of qualifying for Sunday's Catalunya Grand Prix.
"I'm 29 years and I'm convinced that I can stay at the top level until 31 years. After that I don't know what will happen.
"You can ride until 34 or 35 years. That depends on my development and that of the motorbike. If we continue to be competitive we can consider other (contract) extensions.
"Motivation is what makes the difference between riders and the number of falls. A long career also means a lot of stress and pressure, but I'm not thinking about that for the moment."
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