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MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi has reopened his longstanding rivalry with Marc Marquez by insisting the latter “looks bad” when addressing their notorious 2015 incident.
Seven years after the ultra-controversial 2015 title defeat, Rossi still cites Marquez’s role in the outcome of the championship as “unforgivable”. During the famed Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, Rossi and Marquez sensationally fought wheel-to-wheel before colliding. As a result, the Italian was given a three points penalty which forced him to start the season-finale in Valencia in last place. This ultimately cost him the title and allowed then-teammate Jorge Lorenzo to become champion.
The race subsequently garnered much attention and the relationship between the two began to sour.
Jorge Lorenzo and Marquez had become an essential part of modern MotoGP. While The Doctor and the Ant of Cervera have occasionally appeared cordial, Rossi is far from burying the hatchet.
“Neither of us had more speed than the other. We fought for a few laps until one lost his temper,” Marquez claims.
“I think he would have handled everything differently than he did because the one who lost his temper was him.”
Rossi, speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport in Valencia this weekend, gave a timely response.
“It is normal that he goes on with this thing, but everyone knows what happened in 2015, everyone understood it. So every time he says it’s not true, he just looks bad.”
“I would like my relationship with Marquez to remain exactly as it is today”, alluding to the great chill between the two.
Marc had tried to make peace in 2018 at Misano, but Rossi had denied the handshake. The following year the tension had always resurfaced on the Romagna circuit, with a misunderstanding in the tests and the immoderate exultation of the Spaniard after the victory.