Valentino Rossi has shed light on the fall-out which led to his Honda𝄹 exit.

Rossi was already a five-time world champion when he bizarrely walked awꦕay from Honda at💦 the end of 2003, to join the unfancied Yamaha.

The♚ rest is history - but Rossi has described his bit𝓡ter feeling with Honda which led to his departure.

“When I signed the second contract with Honda, in 2002, I was already ‘ꩲValentino Rossi’๊,” he told Andrea Migno’s podcast.

“My manager pushed, we asked for a lot of money🅘. Honda arm-wrestled us.

“Honda said ‘okay’ then [waited, wa𓆏ited, waite▨d]...

“In January they called and said ‘we w🌊ill give you this money, it’s the end of January, what the f*** else are you going to do?’

“They screwed us economica🅷lly. I should⭕ have earned more."

Honda was like Ducati now

“The Honda then was like theཧ Ducati now," Rossi said.

"The first bikes were all Hondas.

“Let’s say now that Pecco Bagnaia decides to go to ☂Yamaha - it would be madness!

“But Honda were not very nice. It༺ was ‘Valentino Rossi only won because of the Honda’.

“In every interview, tꦫhey said ‘the first five bikes are all Hondas, so if Rossi is there? Then okay…’

“Honda are tough and strong. We deci𒅌ded to go to Yamaha…”

Honda notoriously would not let Ro💃ssi test his new Yamaha at the 2003 postseason𝓀 test.

It meant Rossi could not try his new package uꦬntil early-2004, giving him a major disadvantage headin𒁃g into the season.

But he s♌ensationally won the first race in💮 South Africa, which he still regards his greatest moment, before capturing a sixth world championship that year.