Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) confirmed at the #QatarTest that he is likely to remain racing in 2019 and 2020, with the subject coming up when discussing the possibility of a future satellite VR46-run premier class team.

After Tech 3 and Yamaha parted ways for 2019, the rumor mill has been in overdrive about the future possibilities for a satellite team to run machinery from the Iwata marque – with one of the big talking points centered on the possibility of a future VR46-branded outfit doing just that.

“I didn’t expect Poncharal to leave Yamaha,” begins the ‘Doctor’. “We thought about it and it would have been a great opportunity, but in the next two years we will not make a MotoGP team with Yamaha.”

Then comes the headline, with Rossi confirming that it’s more a project for after he stops racing – and that very probably, that won’t be anytime before 2020.

“I'll probably race for the next two years, so hopefully, we'll talk about the team later when I stop - but not in 2019 or 2020."

After Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) signed on the Monday before Qatar and Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) announced his future at the Yamaha Team presentation, will Rossi be the next to sign on the line?