Valentino Rossi felt the triumph of vindication after Sunday’s French MotoGP at Le Mans, where he finished at second place and showed his doubters that he is still a force to reckon with at the podium.

“At last I'm back on the podium! I was really missing it. I'm really happy and I needed it,” Rossi told the media after the race.

Is Rossi approaching retirement?

The Italian rider, a nine-time world champion, has been doubted by critics since his switch from Yamaha to Ducati. Things turned for worse when he was eclipsed by teammate Nicky Hayden in the 2012 season-opener in Qatar. There have been reports that he was retiring at the end of the season.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Rossi unabashedly aired his sentiments.

“I've heard many things about me lately. Honestly it pissed me off… It's as if I'm old at 33, but I'm not. I feel in shape and I've had the chance to demonstrate it,” he said.

Spain's 2010 world champion Jorge Lorenzo won the race on a Yamaha, while Australian defending world champion Casey Stoner came third on a Honda.

It was “Rossi vs Stoner” for the Italian

Rossi celebrated the fact that he got ahead of Stoner in his latest race. He has taken note of his competition with the Aussie racer since they battled for the 2007 title.

The event, witnessed by a huge crowd of over 80,000 people on a rainy day, was Rossi's 176th grand prix podium.

“At the beginning everything was ok, I was behind Casey in a perfect position, but then I had fog in my visor. I lost two or three seconds,” he recounted to the media.

Rossi eventually began closing rapidly on Stoner during the final ten laps, during which his Desmosedici proved to be an astounding 2-wheel ride on soaking wet conditions.

Desmosedici Blazes in Soaked Podium

The Italian rider went on to express how proud he was of his bike for not letting him down in such an important reputation-saving race.
“I want to race in places where it rains a lot!” joked Rossi after the event. He added, “No, I know in these conditions I have a special chance to try for the podium, so it is very important that I concentrate and ride to the maximum.”

But Rossi was realistic about Ducati’s condition, too.

"A second place is not like a victory… We want to learn how to go as quick in the dry as in the wet. When you hope it rains, that means you're in the shit,” he said, adding, “We haven't yet understood why, but the Ducati goes a lot better in the wet. It was most of all a bike success.”