Legendary Italian motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi has revisited his infamous 2015 championship feud with Marc Marquez in his upcoming autobiography. The nine-time world champion maintains that the Spanish rider deliberately interfered in his title battle against Jorge Lorenzo.
Reflecting on the 2015 Title Controversy
Titled La Mia Storia and scheduled for release on 10 November, the new book offers a fresh account of the defining and often controversial moments of Rossi’s career. Over a decade after the events of the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang, the Italian racer stated during an appearance on RAI’s Che tempo che fa programme that his perspective has not changed, admitting that the defeat still hurts.
Rossi arrived at Sepang that year fighting Lorenzo for what would have been his 10th world title, having already accused Marquez of conspiring to ensure a Spanish rider won the championship following earlier contentious incidents in Argentina and Assen. Sunday’s race featured an uncompromising battle that culminated in a clash where Rossi appeared to kick the Honda rider off his machine. Rossi believed Marquez, who was out of title contention, was solely intent on ruining his championship bid.
As reported by Autosport.com, Rossi received a back-of-the-grid penalty for the Valencia finale amid unprecedented tension among the protagonists and traveling fans. Lorenzo ultimately claimed the championship crown, while Rossi accused Marquez of orchestrating a pact to avoid attacking Lorenzo. Speaking about the ordeal, Rossi explained as reported by Autosport.com:
“We all have our limits. Some are lower, some are higher. But the 2015 story makes me even angrier because Marquez wasn’t actually fighting for the championship. Lorenzo and I were fighting for it; he was only fighting to make me lose. And in the end, he succeeded.”
“That is something that never goes away; it still hurts. More than 10 years have passed, but my feelings, my state of mind when I think about it, are still the same as they were on that night in Valencia. And that worries me a little!”
“I often look at myself in the mirror and tell myself: let’s not focus on the title we lost, let’s think about the ones we won. That’s sport; losing hurts more.”
Assessments on VR46 Academy Riders
Shifting focus to the present, Rossi evaluated the performances of riders from his VR46 Riders Academy competing in MotoGP. He discussed Marco Bezzecchi, who held a strong early-season position with Aprilia before accumulating a series of mistakes that left him third in the standings behind Jorge Martin with two rounds remaining, despite winning the Qatar Grand Prix.
“Bezzecchi is doing well because he won, but he is a little disappointed because he had the opportunity to win the world championship this year. He had the speed, but he made too many mistakes. Most likely, he won’t win it,” Rossi said, as reported by Autosport.com.
Rossi also addressed Francesco Bagnaia, who is preparing to leave Ducati following two difficult campaigns and recently suffered two fractures to his foot in a heavy crash involving Fermin Aldeguer during the Qatar sprint race.
“When you break a foot and have two fractures, as is the case with him, you’re obviously not in a good way. But considering how the crash happened, it could have been much worse,” Rossi stated, as quoted by Autosport.com.
Finally, Rossi shared his thoughts on academy friend Kimi Antonelli following his recent Formula 1 world championship success. Rossi praised the achievement, calling the young driver fantastic, funny, and a true champion, while noting the rarity of an Italian driver winning an F1 world title after 70 years.
