Valentino Rossi launched an unforgettable attack on MotoGP rival Marc Marquez before the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix. It was one of the most remarkable moments in the sport’s history.
Rossi entered the race as the championship leader, 11 points clear of Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo. But he alleged that Marquez had been ‘playing with’ his rivals at the previous round in Australia.
He declared that the Honda rider had become a ‘new supporter’ of Lorenzo. As such, he was trying to ‘help’ his fellow Spaniard close the gap in the championship – an accusation Marquez firmly denied.
10 years on, Rossi and Marquez, the two most successful riders of the modern era, are still at odds.
Julian Ryder says ‘somebody’ was in Valentino Rossi’s ‘ear’ before 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix
On the Racing Back podcast, legendary MotoGP commentators Julian Ryder and Nick Harris reflected on some of the most memorable press conferences they had attended. The events at the Malaysian Grand Prix inevitably came up.
Ryder pointed out that Rossi hadn’t expressed any grievances in the immediate aftermath of the Phillip Island GP. After jostling with The Doctor and Andrea Iannone, Marquez passed Lorenzo on the final lap to snatch the victory.
Rossi lost out to Iannone in the battle for the final podium spot thanks to another last-gasp overtake. Ryder suspects that ‘somebody got in his ear’ afterwards, inciting him to confront Marquez.
When the two riders went head-to-head in the race, Rossi appeared to kick out at the #93 bike just before he crashed. The resulting penalty points saw him start the Valencia finale at the back, opening the door for Lorenzo to win the title.
“We don’t know who’d got to Valentino between Phillip Island and Malaysia, who’d been in his ear,” Ryder said.
“There was no hint of it after the race [in Australia]. Somebody got in his ear, and in that press conference he talked himself out of his 10th world championship.”
Casey Stoner says Valentino Rossi did something even worse than the Malaysia ‘kick’
Rossi appealed his penalty in the hope of either delaying it or getting it overturned. He was unsuccessful, and he could only recover to fourth in the title decider.
“I’ll say one thing about Valencia,” Ryder added. “The atmosphere was poisonous. Valentino was only ever going to finish fourth in that race. It had no discernible effect on the result.”
The Rossi/Marquez incident created lasting divisions, which are still evident to this day. For instance, the Ant of Cervera was recently booed by sections of the crowd after winning the Italian Grand Prix.
Casey Stoner says Rossi’s biggest mistake was making enemies throughout his career. After missing his shot in 2015, he never won another championship.