Image: Supplied.

Valentino Rossi is feeling optimistic after a promising weekend in Australia, the Italian fan-favourite celebrating his 400th grand prix at Phillip Island.

The Monster Energy Yamaha rider, who started from P4, got off to an exceptional start and led the field for the opening three laps, later dropping to eighth at the conclusion of the 27-lap outing.

Despite the result showing Rossi scraping inside the top 10, the multi-time world champion crossed the line just over a second behind third’s Jack Miller (Pramac Racing).

“It was a great start and a very good way to celebrate my 400th grand prix, being able to be in front for a bit,” Rossi explained. “In the end, the race result for sure isn‘t fantastic, but I was not so far behind Jack Miller, who arrived on the podium, and I was able to ride in a better way and was more competitive compared to the previous weekend.

“Anyway, we need more, and we need to be stronger. We need to work, and we‘ll see. Racing at the Phillip Island track is always great, but in the end it was a hard battle.”

Rossi is ranked seventh in the championship standings as two rounds remain on the MotoGP calendar.