Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi has seen his fair share of skilful and successful MotoGP riders since the nine-time world champion first graced the paddock way back in the 1996 term.
Some of the all-time greats on two wheels have had to go up against Rossi since the Italian’s 125cc debut. Loris Capirossi was a very early foe of the Urbino native after denying Rossi the 250cc title in 1998. His MotoGP debut in 2000 also put Rossi in the same grid as Max Biaggi.
Biaggi would emerge as arguably Rossi’s biggest-ever rival with the two Italians never able to see eye-to-eye. The Rome native is also a rival the Italian regarded as one of his biggest with Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner after Rossi infamously overlooked Marc Marquez in 2023.
Ducati axed Jorge Lorenzo one season after Valentino Rossi backed him to be ‘very strong’
Lorenzo and Rossi built a fierce rivalry through their years as teammates at Yamaha between 2008 and 2016. The Spaniard joined the Italian’s team when Yamaha signed Lorenzo in 2008 in the fear that Rossi might leave MotoGP and pursue a career as a Formula 1 driver instead.
It was Ducati rather than F1 that Rossi left Yamaha for in 2011 only to re-join Lorenzo’s team in 2013. Rossi signed with the Borgo Panigale brand at the height of his rivalry with Lorenzo, which also saw Yamaha build a dividing wall in their garage during the 2010 MotoGP season.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Valentino Rossi from stats to net worth
Fighting for the riders’ title added fuel to their rivalry with Lorenzo dethroning Rossi in 2010, before adding further crowns in 2012 and 2015. But the Italian still respected the talent that the Spaniard possessed after Lorenzo later made the switch from Yamaha to Ducati in 2017.
Despite Lorenzo failing to win a single race in the first season of his €50m (£21.5m per year) contract at Ducati, Rossi backed the Spaniard to come back strongly in 2018. He could see the threat of the Bologna Bullets’ bike after Andrea Dovizioso came second in the standings.
Rossi said in 2017, via Paddock-GP: “When I was racing for Ducati, you couldn’t ride the bike. This year, Ducati have won six Grands Prix with Dovizioso – which means the bike is good.
“It’s difficult to compare with the 2011-2012 era because when I rode for Ducati, the bike was much worse… Jorge will definitely be very strong next year. He is still very strong.”
Jorge Lorenzo failed to live up to Valentino Rossi’s prediction and left Ducati after 2018
But despite Lorenzo eventually finding his feet at Ducati during the 2018 season, the Borgo Panigale brand axed him at the end of that term to sign Danilo Petrucci. Lorenzo won three Grands Prix in 2018 yet fell even further down the standings from seventh in 2017 to ninth.
All in all Ducati only enjoyed 32 Grands Prix, three race wins and seven podium finishes for the €50m (£42.5m) they paid Lorenzo to quit Yamaha. The Bologna Bullets would not even offer Lorenzo a contract for 2019, when he joined Honda for what would be his last season.
“I didn’t start being competitive until I understood [Ducati’s bike],” Lorenzo told AS in 2024. “Ducati lost patience after a year and a half without results. They no longer trusted me.
“They weren’t even offering me a million euros when contracts at the time were for 12. They preferred a rider like Petrucci. I didn’t have a single offer.”
Valentino Rossi’s belief in Jorge Lorenzo can act as a warning as VR46 target Pedro Acosta
Rossi’s high expectations for Lorenzo after his once fierce rival struggled upon moving from Yamaha to Ducati could now also act as a warning for Rossi’s team VR46 and Honda as they look to sign Pedro Acosta. Despite the potential, big fees are not a guarantee of big results.
KTM Factory Racing failing to give Acosta a bike on which he can compete at the front of the grid this season has raised the potential he could jump ship for 2025. VR46 lead the race to sign Acosta, too, despite Honda offering him €30m (£26m) to join them on a two-year deal.
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