Valentino Rossi: Big applause for ‘The Doctor’ at a concert in London

The MotoGP World Championship gets underway this coming weekend in Australia, kicking off another triple-header with the subsequent races in Malaysia and Qatar. Whilst the team has now arrived at Phillip Island, Valentino Rossi took a detour to his former home city of London with his partner Francesca.

For the nine-time world champion, the trip following his appearance at the GT race in Portimão was a purely private affair. Their destination in London was the ‘O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire’ – a venue combining a cinema and a concert hall in the style of a classic theatre. Rossi’s musician friend Cesare Cremonini was celebrating the launch of his new album ‘Amatour’ there.

Rossi-Fan Cesare Cremonini

Foto: Cesare Cremonini

When Rossi, a ‘superfan’, was spotted by the audience on the balcony before the event began, there was no holding back – a storm of enthusiasm ensued, accompanied by loud cries of ‘Vale’. Rossi was delighted by the ovation and waved to the crowd. The event was also covered by Sky Italia as a media partner. The Italian national motorcycling hero has been closely associated with the exceptional artist Cremonini for years.

Cesare Cremonini, for his part, is regarded as a huge motorsport fan and an ardent admirer of the MotoGP icon Rossi. The musician regularly attends MotoGP events. In the past, he has also performed at private wedding celebrations, such as that of VR46 Academy rider Pecco Bagnaia.

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On this occasion, Rossi was also asked about the World Championship prospects of his VR46 protégé, Marco Bezzecchi. ‘Bez’ is currently 46 points behind World Championship leader Jorge Martin. “It’s certainly difficult, but why not? In my opinion, Bez has shown this year that he’s the fastest. 46 points is a lot – not least because there are still two riders ahead of him. But there are still plenty of races to go. He has to try and win races,” mused Rossi. “Bez was very fast in Australia in 2025 – he’d probably have won if it hadn’t been for the long-laps.” Commenting on the gap of exactly 46 points, Rossi joked: “A good number, isn’t it?”