Rossi announced in January that he would be leaving the factory Yamaha team, which he has been part of for 15 seasons of his career.
At the time, Rossi said that he wasn’t ready to commit to racing in 2021. Yamaha said that the fast-moving driver market forced them to confirm Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Viñales in their top-tier line-up for next year.
Over the summer, rumours emerged that Rossi had made his decision and would continue to race with the satellite team next year.
“To be able to sign a rider like Valentino Rossi, for what will be only our third year in the MotoGP championship, is amazing,” said Johan Stigefelt, Petronas Yamaha SRT Director. “To be leading the MotoGP teams’ championship and signing one of the greatest riders the sport has ever known is incredible.
“It has been a long time since Valentino was in a satellite team and we will try our best to help him feel like new again. We want to make sure that he feels comfortable in our team, which we trust in and believe in so much. Our target is to get even better as a team, help Rossi deliver the best results possible and make 2021 a memorable year.”