Valentino R♔ossi's worst-ever start to a grand pri🍌x season has fuelled plenty of debate over the nine-time world champion's MotoGP future.

Currently on a one-year deal with Petronas 💟Yamaha, Rossi has always maintained that results 𒉰will determine whether he elects to extend his record-breaking career into 2022.

The Italian's resulඣts so far make grim reading, his only points coming from a twelfth-place finish in the Qatar season-opener. Since♛ then, Rossi has been classified 16th, DNF, 17th.

Whiﷺle there have been plenty of critics, two high-profile former racers recently offered words of support to Rossi.

1993 world champion Kevin Schwantz believes th൲e 42-year-old still has fight in him, while Foggy felt Rossi would be at the front if MotoGP bikes were not so reliant on electronics.

"I don’tꦬ read anything, ever. But it's been like this for 15 years!" smiled Rossi, when asked if he sees all the speculation written about him.

"But sometimes I see things on Instagram. Somebody speaks well about me, somebody less! I saw good words from Kevin and from Fogarty. I h♒ave to say thank you to the ex-champions that speak well!

"What I like is that Kevin said he still trusts in me and that I still have some fight inside. I 🗹agree with him and will try🦩 to demonstrate."

After a 'low morale' Spanish Grand Prix, Rossi and🤪 his team had allowed themselves some 'small smiles' following progress in braking and corner entry at the post-race test.

The Doctor hoped to confirm the steps made at Le Mans this weekend, but the forecast wet weather is set to🦂 complicate things.

"Yes it's a shame because I like a ꦛlot Le Mans and historically it's also a good track for Yamaha so I hope for a dry weekend also to understand if the work from the Monday test at Jerez can help us to be str✃onger also here," he said.

"But the weather is like this and we wi♐ll see. Will be important to try to be competitive in all the conditions because the weather cꦯhanges every ten minutes."

Rossi was also asked for his response to 🌜the news that there will not be any fans at his upcoming home Italian Grand Prix at Mugello.

"I think that Mugello is the place where having no fans is the bigger problem, because the track is a n⭕atural stadium," he said. "Maybe💫 Jerez is like this, or Assen. But in Mugello you see the people when you ride, it's one of the only tracks."

Might the lack o🤡f home fans also influence his decision to race in 2🍷022?

"It's a great shame to🐓 not have any fans also this year [at Mugello] but depends very much on the result🎉s if I continue in 2022," Rossi reiterated.