Will Valentino Rossi's claims force a rethink about his MotoGP legacy?
The nine-time world champion has never wavered from his stance that Marc Marquez conspired against him to ensure Jorge Lorenzo won the 2015 crown. It’s a view that has radicalised a portion of the MotoGP fanbase and is the main reason a chorus of boos tends to follow Marquez around whenever he races in front of former Rossi strongholds.
Perhaps the most bizarre declaration from Rossi aimed at Marquez was this, which seems to conveniently forget some of his own on-track battles and those of just about every racer in history:"No one, among the great stars of motorsport, has ever fought to make another rider lose, that is what marks the line. Normally those who did certain things did it for themselves, they were dirty to gain their own advantage, because they wanted to win. No one has been as dirty as him.
In Australia, several laps where Marquez dropped off from Lorenzo - which was to lower his tyre temperatures for a late push - was seen as proof that the then-Honda rider was trying to disrupt Rossi in favour of Lorenzo, because Marquez apparently held such a deep-rooted grudge for run-ins earlier in 2015. If that were the case, it seems baffling even to this day that Marquez would then overtake Lorenzo a few corners from the chequered flag to steal the win away from the Yamaha rider.
Rossi had spent years stepping on rivals and coming out on top. In 2015, for the first time, it didn’t work and this led to an ego-bruising that doesn’t seem to have healed all these years later.The timing of Rossi’s latest 2015 tirade isn’t coincidental. It’s been known for a while that the VR46 camp wasn’t happy with Ducati promoting Marquez to its factory team for 2025.
Going forward, Bagnaia may well be asked about Rossi’s comments and for his opinion on the matter. Bagnaia will steer clear of it, but the more Rossi digs in the greater the dilemma the double world champion will find himself in. Across three fronts, he will have to protect his team, avoid anything to strain relations with his future team-mate, and do nothing to upset his friend and mentor.
The court of public opinion is utterly merciless, not least in the social media age where anything you say or do is scrutinised.
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