Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi entered the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix 11 points ahead of Yamaha teammate and championship rival Jorge Lorenzo. By the time he left Sepang, his title hopes had unravelled.
Rossi could have sealed the crown at the penultimate round if he had outscored Lorenzo by 15 points. The most likely scenario was that he won and the Spaniard finished outside the top five.
Lorenzo ultimately finished second, one place ahead of Rossi. That meant the gap was seven points heading into the decider in Valencia.
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However, Rossi picked up three penalty points for his infamous incident with Marc Marquez during the race, triggering a back-of-the-grid start. Even though he rallied to fourth on hostile ground, Lorenzo’s victory was enough to snatch the title.
MotoGP insiders thought it was ‘now or never’ for Valentino Rossi in 2015
Speaking on MotoGP’s documentary, ‘Sepang Clash – 10 years on‘, commentator Matt Birt recalled the mood in the paddock in the lead-up to the race. Many felt that this was Rossi’s ‘last chance’ to win an eighth premier-class title and equal Giacomo Agostini’s record.
Rossi had experienced a fallow period since winning the title in 2009. He dropped to third place a year later before slipping outside the top six in two disappointing years at Ducati.
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After returning to Yamaha, he had watched new arrival Marquez win the 2013 and 2014 titles. This might explain why there was a hint of desperation about Rossi when Lin Jarvis’ team took over at the top in 2015.
“Valentino had not won a championship since 2009,” Birt said. “There was this growing feeling in the paddock that ‘this is his time, it’s now or never, if he doesn’t win it this year, he’ll never win it again.'”
“Valentino was leading and seeing his last chance to win the world championship,” Lorenzo himself added. “When he feels he can win, he becomes a killer.”
What Jorge Lorenzo said about ‘scared’ Valentino Rossi before Malaysia 2015
Lorenzo’s goal heading into the race was to stay in control of his own title aspirations. He knew that would put Rossi under extreme pressure in Valencia.
“We have to depend on ourselves,” he said in the car on the way to the circuit. “In that situation, he’ll be really scared.”
Julian Ryder, who commentated on the race, suspects that ‘somebody’ got in Rossi’s ear after the previous race in Australia. The Italian accused Marquez of trying to help Lorenzo at Phillip Island.
The feud between the two riders persists years later, even if it has cooled. Marquez has told his fans not to attack Rossi and instead focus on supporting him.
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