Rossi in new autobiography: '2015 still hurts, Marquez wanted me to lose'
by Rubén Carballo Rosa · AutosportValentino Rossi has released his new autobiography, La Mia Storia, on 10 November, looking back on the defining moments of his career, including his bitter feud with Marc Marquez
Valentino Rossi has revisited his 2015 feud with Marc Marquez in his new autobiography, maintaining that the Spaniard interfered in his MotoGP title battle with Jorge Lorenzo.
The nine-time world champion previously published a book about his career while he was still at the peak of his powers. But a new work, La Mia Storia, will be released on 10 November, offering a fresh account of the defining moments of a legendary and often controversial career.
Although 11 years have passed, the events of the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix remain a defining chapter in the Italian's life. Rossi was fighting Lorenzo for what would have been his 10th world title and arrived at Sepang accusing Marquez, with whom he had already been involved in several contentious incidents in Argentina and Assen that year, of conspiring to ensure a Spanish rider won the MotoGP championship.
Marquez responded with an uncompromising battle during Sunday's race, which culminated in the infamous clash in which Rossi appeared to kick the Honda rider off his bike. Rossi believed Marquez, who was already out of title contention, was solely intent on losing him the championship.
Rossi was subsequently penalised with a back-of-the-grid start in the Valencia finale, where tensions reached unprecedented levels between the three protagonists and among the fans who had travelled to the circuit. The race attracted record television audiences worldwide and ended with Lorenzo being crowned champion, while Rossi accused Marquez of a 'biscotto' – an alleged agreement to avoid attacking Lorenzo and prevent the title from going to the Italian.
Rossi appeared on RAI's Che tempo che fa programme on Sunday to promote his new autobiography, which looks back on his sporting career. Inevitably, the interviewer asked him about the events of 2015. Rossi insisted that his version of events had not changed, admitting that what happened still hurts and that he regrets how much attention is devoted to the title he lost rather than the championships he won.
“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,” Rossi said.
“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. But that's sport; losing hurts more.”
Rossi assesses Bezzecchi and Bagnaia
Moving on from the past, Rossi also discussed the present, offering his assessment of the performances of his riders in MotoGP through the VR46 Riders Academy, who have endured a challenging season.
Marco Bezzecchi, in particular, looked a strong contender early in the campaign, at one stage building a 102-point advantage over Marquez. However, after a series of mistakes despite the competitiveness of his Aprilia, he is now third in the standings behind Jorge Martin with two rounds remaining and on the verge of missing out on the title.
“Bezzecchi is doing well because he won [Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix], 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.
Rossi also commented on Francesco Bagnaia, who is counting down the days until his departure from Ducati after two difficult seasons. His hopes of a strong result in Qatar were dashed when he suffered a foot injury in a crash during Saturday's sprint.
“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 [a heavy fall following contact with Fermin Aldeguer], it could have been much worse,” he said.
Finally, Rossi discussed the performance of a friend of his academy, Kimi Antonelli, who has recently been crowned Formula 1 world champion.
“Kimi? Spectacular. Having an Italian driver who, after 70 years, makes us so fortunate with a world title is exciting," he said.
“There are many Italian riders in the Motorcycle world championship, but not in F1. I've always tried to understand why. Kimi came here because of us, the fans. I've known him for a few years; he's a fantastic person, very funny. He's a champion."
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