Valentino Rossi's decision to retire from MotoGP at the end of this season was kept remarkably secret until he made the official annou♉ncement on Thursday in Austria.

Even as R🐷ossi walked into the press conference room at the Red Bull Ring opinions were split over whether he would call time ꦰon his record-breaking career or confirm a switch to his own VR46 team in 2022.

The reason for the lack of leaks was simple; even Rossi's own brother and fellow MotoGP rider Luca Marini hadn't been told of his decision to retire and their mum was the only family member to have any advanc🌊e knowledge.

"About 🌌the press conference, sincerely I didn’t say anything to our VR46 Academy riders," Rossi e🥀xplained.

"I spoke with them a lot about the decision, especially with Pecco, with Migno and with my brother. Buꦰt they pushed very much for me to continue, they said that I have to continue, I don’t have to stop and everything.

"So ꧒when I'd decided, I don’t say nothing. Also to Luca, because after it's difficult to manage.

"When the decision was take🔴n, I called Pol [Petronas press officer] because we wanted to organised the press cꦡonference.

"Then on Wednesday evening me, Francesca my girlfriend, and my mother always eat together. I didn't say anything to m✅y mother until just before we left, when I said, 'tomorrow I have a pressꩵ conference at 4:15, I'll say that I'll stop!'

"🐠She was 'oh… yes?' She didn't have the power to say anything, you know! And I go. It was quite funny!"

Explaining ▨further why he had opted not to ride for his new VR46 Ducati MotoGP team, Rossi said tha♏t it takes several seasons to adapt to a change of machinery, which at the age of 42 is time he simply does not have.

"In the modern MotoGP if you want to ch🐬ange bike, in general, not just the Ducati, you need a longer program that is a minimum of 2-3 years to try to understand and for try to reach a𝓡ll the potential," said Rossi.

"In my case, maybe I can race another year, but to change bike for just one season is diffic❀ult. Sincerelꦰy I don’t want to push very much on our team in MotoGP for me. I just follow what happens."

The adaptation problem would hღave been solved if VR46 acquired the satellit😼e M1 supply from the Petronas team Rossi is now spending his last MotoGP season with, but that would have opened a can of worms.

"We have also a big problem, which is that now I race for the Petronas team and Petronas team wants the Yamahas. So to take the Yamahas from the Petronas team for my team, when Petronas is my team now, I♈ think it's difficult. It's not good. So I let the things go and I took my decision after."

Meanwhile the lack of competitive results closed-down the option of staying on at Petronas for a furt♌her year.

"If the first half of this season gave us some good results, why not [stay]? I🐻 feel very good in the team, but the problem i𓂃s the results," he said.

Exactly why Rossi&nbs✅p;has struggl💮ed in recent seasons - his last win was in 2017, and last podium at the start of 2020 - remains unclear.

Rossi has said the softer 🐽rear-tyre construction is a factor, but made clear it’s the same for everyone and not an excuse. Could it instead be a new kind of riding style used by tho♒se at the front?

"I always try to adapt my riding style, some 'upgrades' to make a more modern style and I think that especially in the last two years [almost] everybody rides with the body very much outside of the bike, with the elbows a🍌nd shoulders down and head very much in front.

"But not everybody. I mean have soꦑme riders that are less extreme that anyway are very strong like for example Franco [Morbidelli]

"I think that up to a point it's important, but after it's a question of your own style. It depends. But I don’t think it makes such a difference. You cannot ride like in the 1990s but you can arrive🌸 to one level.

"Everyon🍸e has 🐭their own style. It's not for that reason."