Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez share one of the most iconic MotoGP rivalries of all time and never wanted to spare an inch for each other on track.
They fought each other for titles, but since Marquez joined the grid in 2013, he was only ever beaten once by his Italian rival.
That came in one of their most controversial campaigns back in 2015, which included an infamous Marquez kick that changed his reputation.
Rossi retired after 2021 but still races on four wheels, occasionally paying a visit to the grid to help oversee his VR46 team.
MotoGP fans were spoiled while two of the greatest of all time were racing at the same time, and it’s Marquez who is aiming to break Rossi’s record and become the oldest champion ever in 2025, at the age of 32.
Marquez doesn’t want to do what Rossi did and compete in endurance or four-wheeled racing after retiring. He’s all about motorcycles.
Valentino Rossi was ‘scared’ and accused Marc Marquez of ‘destroying’ MotoGP
Towards the latter end of his career, Rossi dropped down the field and wasn’t the contender he used to be.
At the 2018 Argentina Grand Prix, Marquez attempted a late move on Rossi, which sent him onto the grass and off his bike in the wet.
He was less than impressed with the move and complained about his rivals’ actions after the race to TNT Sports.
“I’m OK, but this is a very bad situation. If you take what happened this weekend as an example, one incident can happen to anybody, you can make a mistake in braking, you can touch the other guy.
“It can happen, it’s racing. But from Friday morning on, Marquez did this to (Maverick) Vinales, to (Andrea) Dovizioso, to me, and on Saturday morning, and today he went straight through four riders. They have to do something.
“I’m scared on the track when I’m with Marquez. I was scared today when I saw his name on the board. I’m not race direction – they will decide – but like this he is destroying our sport, because when you do 300-kilometre an hour on the track, you have to have respect for your rivals.”
READ MORE: Marco Melandri names which MotoGP legend is more ‘selfish’ – Valentino Rossi or Marc Marquez
What happened to Marc Marquez in 2018 after the Argentina Grand Prix?
The rest of the 2018 season was a tale of one man and one bike, as Marquez romped to a fifth title in six years with Honda.
Argentina was one of just two occasions where he finished lower than third, and he ended up winning nine races across the season.
Rossi finished a respectable third, but didn’t win a race all year. The best he would manage was one second place at the German Grand Prix.
The Italian rider would experience a significant drop-off after 2018, and never won another race. He did make the podium three more times, though, including at the age of 41.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
