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Valentino Rossi has strongly refuted suggestions that he failed to win the MotoGP title last year because he was distracted by the opportunity to race on four wheels.

The Italian was heavily linked with a switch to Formula One last year after a spell testing cars with Ferrari - a period that coincided with his poor start to the MotoGP season, as he made the podium just once in the first five races.

However, Rossi has rebuffed claims that the speculation distracted him and ultimately cost him the title, telling Motor Cycle News that, although he did not begin the season well, he was affected by technical problems as well as by his own form.

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He explained: "I made some mistakes, but I think it is normal after winning five world championships in a row.

"We don't give the right importance or the right way in the problem of chattering at the beginning of the year. We think 'OK, no problem, we will fix it' and we didn't fix it. This is the problem, but now we are more concentrated."

Fellow Yamaha man Colin Edwards was similarly scornful of the idea that Rossi took his eye off the ball, claiming that the rider nicknamed 'the Doctor' never once lost his cool throughout the course of the season.

Rossi's form improved last summer after he signed an extension on his deal with Yamaha and his recent decision to commit to the manufacturer for a further two years suggests that the six-time world champion's hunger for MotoGP glory has not dissipated just yet.

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