Yamaha are not there yet, but Valentino Rossi can see the light at the en💯d of the tunnel in terms of making the M1 a regular victory contender once again.

Speaking at the end of this week's opening 2019 test at Sepang - where the Italian set the tenth fas🎃test lap time (+0.916s), but was closer to the top on race pace - Rossi explained that, while there is plenty of work to do, "we have a direction" after being "a bit lost" for the past two years.

"The test was so bad because, for me, the bigger th💎ing I'm happy [about] is that in the last two years we were a little bit lost - Yamaha worked, we tried some things, but always… we don't know. Better, worse. We don't know [why]," said the soon to be 40-year-old.

"This time we tried some things that improved,🦩 some things that were w♚orse, but it is like now we have a direction. So we need time, because our opponents are very strong, but we are more optimistic."

Rossi added that he was "happy about♚ the atmosphere and especially about the ideas inside the team, because it looks like💟 Yamaha are concentrating very hard to improve. This is important."

But reflecting o🥂n the all-Ducati top four at the test, Rossi admitted: "In the time attack, the Ducatis were incredible. Also we don't have Marquez [pushing for a fast💟 lap here] because of the shoulder.

, and to finish the Sepang test. Lots of discussion about lap times beyond one fast lap. Pace shown by Marquez on day three was a surprise. Race lap record is a 2m 0.6s.

— Peter McLaren (@McLarenMotoGP)

Rossi said that the main areas for further work are acceler🔥ation and power delivery, having seen first-hand where they are losing when he got to follow Ducati test leader Danilo Petrucci on the final day.

"Acceleration on the exit from the corner, they [Ducati] are very fast. Looks like they ride very well. I was behind Petrucci and they are faster constantly♐," Ros꧑si said.

"But as the first test it's not so bad. The Qatar [test] is in ten days so I don't think for Qatar we can get somౠething new. But it is another track, another temperature, so it will be interesting to understand."

Rossi 💯also gave a thumbs-up to the revised Michelin tyre compounds on offer at the test, which ar🐬e set to be used during the 2019 season.

"I tried the new tyres and they are interesting, especially one front and one rear are better than the old. So I h🥃ope that we can have them as soon as possible."

Team𒈔-mate Maverick Vinales, who took Yamaha's only race win of 2018 at Phi𒆙llip Island, was best of the rest behind the Ducatis in fifth.