After starting at the front-row just one week ago, Valentino Rossi will start the second round of Qatar GP at P21.
The 42-year-old Petronas Sepang Racing Team (PSRT) rider endured a miserable Q1 at Losail International Circuit, which will see him start the second round just ahead of the last spot, Lorenzo Savadori.
Last week, rear tyre trouble saw the Italian drop to twelfth place after starting the race at P4.
In search of a solution seems to backfired the PSRT rider as he only managed to clocked 1m 54.881s, far from his 1m 53.114s that he set a week earlier.
“It was very difficult today because we struggled a lot with the rear tyre. Compared to last week we tried to modify the setting and also some of the electronics, but I lost some performance in qualifying and I was not fast enough.
“We also haven’t been able to improve and we are putting too much stress on the rear tyre,” explained Rossi.
Meanwhile, MotoGP rookie and Pramac Racing rider Jorge Martin will lead the pack at P1, followed by his team-mate, Johann Zarco, at P2.
Last week winner, Maverick Vinales, completes the front row at P3.