Scott Redding has noticed key difference between Valentino Rossi and Francesco Bagnaia in Marc Marquez duels

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Valentino Rossi is watching his symbolic MotoGP heir Francesco Bagnaia go head-to-head with Marc Marquez. But Scott Redding says they’re approaching the battle very differently.

Rossi and Marquez were involved in one of MotoGP’s most bitter rivalries. The Doctor finished runner-up to the Ant of Cervera twice (2014 and 2016).

But the animosity peaked in 2015 when neither rider won the title. Rossi felt Marquez was helping his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, the eventual champion, and he appeared to kick out at the Honda rider at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Rossi changed his legacy forever at Sepang, Carlos Checa says. Now, Bagnaia, the jewel in the crown of the VR46 academy, is looking to succeed where his mentor failed.

Bagnaia has won two MotoGP world championships so far but his intra-team battle with Marquez will define his reputation. He can establish himself as one of the greatest riders ever by defeating the Spaniard and adding to his title haul.

There was a theory that Bagnaia could ask Rossi to plant stories about Marquez, using his vast network of press connections. But the Ducati rider says he’s committed to playing fair.

Scott Redding has a lot of ‘respect’ for Francesco Bagnaia’s handling of Marc Marquez rivalry

Speaking to Motorsport Republica, former MotoGP rider Redding criticised Rossi’s conduct during his Marquez rivalry. He felt that the seven-time champion deliberately stoked his fans’ hostility.

Redding believes Rossi could have intervened to stop things turning ugly. That, after all, is what Bagnaia has tried to do.

At the San Marino Grand Prix last September, Bagnaia called for the crowd, many of them former Rossi supporters, to stop booing Marquez. Redding respected that gesture.

At a recent fan event in Italy before the season opener, Bagnaia told fans there was ‘no need’ to jeer Marquez. Remarkably, the ill-feeling from the mid-2010s persists to this day.

“That upset me,” Redding said of Rossi’s behaviour. “There was no need for that. Rossi was very good at controlling the fans. He’s always been good at that. That’s why he’s such a big name in the sport because he was the only one that had a personality.

“When things got a bit rough and ready between him and Marc and he played the fans against him, that was a bit naughty. Marc was having people turn up at his house.

“He could have stopped it. That showed, in my opinion, the bad side of Rossi.

“When Marc was getting booed last year in Misano, Pecco Bagnaia was on the podium like ‘hey, you don’t need to do that’. I respect him doing that.”

Marc Marquez’s glove choice was a message to Francesco Bagnaia, Scott Redding says

Marquez has already established an early advantage at Ducati ahead of the Argentina Grand Prix. Bagnaia accused him of ‘playing’ with his rivals last time out in Buriram.

He comfortably converted pole position in the Sprint, then won the race despite encountering a tyre pressure issue that forced him to drop behind his brother Alex. The level of control in his performances was ominous.

Ducati’s Luigi Dall’Igna tried to reassure Bagnaia afterwards, telling him to ‘remember last year’. The 28-year-old must ensure his bad days end in podium finishes, rather than crashes.

Marquez made clear that ‘this is my team’, Redding says, by opting for a red helmet, red gloves and red boots. That was previously Bagnaia’s look, so he may not be pleased.