Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi’s status as the greatest MotoGP rider of all time is starting to come under a bit of threat from one of his greatest rivals.
Marc Marquez is dominating the championship this season and has a chance of drawing level with Rossi on titles at the San Marino Grand Prix. It would be an extra gut-punch, given he loves the place.
The two clashed most intensely back in 2015, when Rossi was fighting with Jorge Lorenzo for the MotoGP title, and 10 years later, their relationship hasn’t improved one bit.
As recently as the Austrian Grand Prix, they ignored each other while walking through the pit lane. Fans are still divided about their rivalry to this day.
Marquez made a ‘promise’ about Rossi and insists that he didn’t see him at Spielberg. He was very much in the zone for the race ahead.
Marquez hopes to achieve a ‘match point’ in 2025 later than the Misano round, but his team may be thinking otherwise. On current form, he can win in Italy, but the reception may not be great.
Valentino Rossi could ‘coach’ Francesco Bagnaia in the future amid MotoGP struggles
Francesco Bagnaia has held ‘very serious’ meetings with Ducati recently, as teammate Marquez continues to make the GP25 look like a dominant bike, while he struggles to make the podium.
The two-time champion seemingly has no answers for the Spaniard, and his team expects improvements soon. Otherwise, he could be forced out ahead of the new regulations in 2027.
Spanish journalist Mela Chercoles believes that fellow countryman Rossi could end up being Bagnaia’s ‘coach’ later on in his career, but he’s not sure who could mentor him now.
“We’re going to tell you something that we’ve never told you anywhere,” he said. “We don’t know who Pecco Bagnaia’s coach should be, but we do know who the last one should be, and that is Valentino Rossi.
“Who they adore with all the reason in the world, who they idolise with all the reason in the world, and who helped them at one point by creating the VR46 academy.
“Although Valentino created that academy to absorb the blow of young riders and stay young, and learn from them still and continue with determination,” Chercoles continued.
“I don’t know what kind of coach would be good, one who understands him [Bagnaia]. One that listens to him, one that makes him see Marquez is not the devil.”
Where Francesco Bagnaia must ‘trust’ his Ducati bike as much as Marc Marquez does
One of Bagnaia’s key problems this year has been under braking. He thought he’d made a major breakthrough at Aragon when he changed brake disc sizes, but it turned out to be a temporary solution.
Other theories have been floated about what exactly has changed between the GP24 and GP25 that has caused a drop-off in form, but nothing is definite until the bike is stripped this winter.
Bagnaia must ‘trust’ his Ducati more under braking if he wants to close the gap to Marquez any time soon, who has been very strong all season.
If it weren’t for an unusual mistake by the 32-year-old at COTA in tricky mixed conditions, then Bagnaia might not even have a win to his name in 2025.
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