Ducati star Marc Marquez is drawing a line under his rivalry with Valentino Rossi, 10 years after their infamous MotoGP clash at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Rossi and Marquez have been bitter rivals for over a decade, with the Sepang incident remaining as the central point of contention between the pair. Rossi continues to accuse the Spaniard of conspiring against him and costing him a 10th world title that season.
Just a few months ago, the pair crossed paths in the pitlane at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg but chose not to acknowledge each other, fuelling the belief that tensions remained as high as ever.
Marquez and his family were the main protagonists at the recent MotoGP gala in Valencia, where the 32-year-old received the trophy for his seventh premier class title.
When a video featuring Rossi appeared on the big screens, a large portion of the crowd booed the Italian, while later that day Marquez asked for “respect for all riders”, making it clear that he wants to distance himself from the Sepang controversy.
“One of the things I’ve learned throughout my sporting career is to have respect for my rivals,” Marquez explained in an interview with El Periodico. “On track, everyone tries to give their maximum, and all the situations or accidents you may cause, or that others cause, are always involuntary, because we’re all riding at the limit.
“Fans enjoy this spectacle, but it comes with risks. Many times, a rider, pumped with adrenaline, makes a mistake, gets penalised for it, and that’s it - that’s where it should end. One of the things I’ve learned is that it’s hard to live with resentment; it’s not possible.”
This conciliatory approach had already begun after his crash with Marco Bezzecchi - a close friend of Rossi - in Indonesia, an incident that left Marquez with a collarbone fracture and forced him to miss the last five races of the year and the crucial Valencia test. There is still some uncertainty about whether he will be at full strength for the start of pre-season testing in Sepang.
Despite picking up that injury, Marquez maintained a peaceful tone in the interview, saying: “Traditionally, motorcycle racing fans have always supported their rider and respected the others, because they risk their lives.”
He said this shift in perspective comes with age because “you don’t see things the same way at 20 as you do at 32.”
Even in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Marquez asked his legion of fans to respect Bezzecchi, who was being harassed on social media.
“Not the best way to celebrate the championship, but this is racing,” he wrote on social media. “Today we’ll fly to Madrid and the doctors will evaluate everything. Please, no hard feelings towards Marco, nobody does it on purpose. Thanks for all your support.”
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