Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi may have retired from MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season, but his intense feud with Marc Marquez is still felt in the sport today.
The Doctor now plies his trade in endurance racing, but is still involved in MotoGP with his VR46 team. Meanwhile, the Ant of Cervera has returned to the top in the premier class. Marquez equalled Rossi’s record in 2025, claiming his ninth Grand Prix title.
The pair fought against one another for the championship during the 2010s, with Marquez winning six titles with Honda. It would go down as one of the most intense rivalries in MotoGP history, as they had several public fallouts.
Rossi’s infamous ‘kick’ at Sepang in 2015 sparked outrage amongst fans, with the incident still being remembered to this day. The friction between their fans has been evident throughout 2025, with their rivals being relentlessly booed at their rider’s respective home races.
Marc Marquez told fans to ‘respect everyone’ after Valentino Rossi was booed at Valencia prizegiving ceremony
Marquez was booed at Mugello, and then again at Misano, the ‘home’ of Rossi. At the Valencia Grand Prix, it was the Italian who was on the receiving end of jeers and whistles from the crowd.
At the end-of-season prizegiving ceremony, Marquez received his champions medal and trophy alongside Moto2 and Moto3 victors Diogo Moreira and Jose Antonio Rueda.
During the proceedings, Dorna displayed numerous images and videos of MotoGP legends over the years. When Rossi’s face appeared, he was met with repeated boos from the crowd, as per a report from MOW.
Marquez missed the Valencia GP and will miss the post-season test due to the injury he sustained in his crash at Mandalika. But he was present to receive his awards for his incredible 2025 campaign, and he had his say on his nemesis’ reception.
When he received the award for the ‘Best Overtake’ of the season, Marquez simply said: “The only thing I can say is please respect everyone.” His comments received ‘no response from the crowd’, who instead cheered his name repeatedly after he spoke.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend
Will Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez’s feud ever be resolved?
Marquez said he was honoured to equal Rossi’s records in MotoGP. Winning the title in 2026 with Ducati would see the 32-year-old usurp his rival for the most premier class titles and put him on 10 overall wins.
However, despite this, Marquez will never be more popular than Rossi, according to Mat Oxley. He claims that the Italian was ‘bigger than motorcycle racing’ during his period of dominance in the 2000s.
Since the Doctor retired from MotoGP, there has been no contact between him and his rival. Marquez has no intention of ending his feud with Rossi, saying that he does not need him, and vice versa.
Andrea Migno says there is ‘no chance’ that Rossi will ‘forgive’ Marquez because of the events of 2015. The Italian accused the Spaniard of trying to cost him the championship, which he eventually lost to Jorge Lorenzo.
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