Marco Bezzecchi
Valentino Rossi’s partnership with Jorge Lorenzo at the factory Yamaha MotoGP team was one of the greatest teammate rivalries in MotoGP history, and they were rarely on amicable terms.
The friction between the two MotoGP legends began before Jorge Lorenzo had even started his career in the premier class.
Valentino Rossi previously revealed his fury at Yamaha for pairing him up with Lorenzo following the Spaniard’s consecutive world championships in the 250cc class, and rightly so.
The Doctor had cemented himself as a MotoGP icon with the factory Yamaha outfit, and so when they opted to bring aboard a rider who was more than capable of dethroning him, the tension between the two riders became monumental.
In fact, that’s exactly how Lorenzo described his relationship with Rossi during a 2025 podcast appearance.
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Davide Brivio details how Valentino Rossi insulted Jorge Lorenzo with his celebrations after the 2009 Spanish GP
During a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, former Yamaha chief Davide Brivio was asked about his tenure at the Japanese constructor, and more specifically, the rivalry that Lorenzo and Rossi shared there as teammates.
Asked what he remembers of the tension-filled partnership, Brivio said, “I had a great professional experience in 2009. Jorge and Valentino were fighting for the World Championship.
“It’s very strange when two riders from the same team fight for the title. One knows everything about the other. There was a lot of tension. The highlight was the Barcelona GP won by Valentino.
“His garage celebrated, and Lorenzo’s team took it as an insult, thinking that the others were celebrating in a special way for having beaten Jorge.
“In reality, Rossi’s technicians would have done the same against any rider. Meetings followed to explain and clarify things. It was a big problem, but I hope it happens again.”
Yamaha would often become a place where the tension between their two star riders could be sliced through with a butter knife.
Following Lorenzo’s title win over Rossi in 2015, MotoGP icons Julian Ryder and Nick Harris recalled the Yamaha hospitality as having a ‘poisonous atmosphere’.
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Jorge Lorenzo was just one of many MotoGP rivalries that Valentino Rossi had
While his relationship with Lorenzo was the biggest rivalry he ever had with a teammate, Rossi shared even more explosive feuds with Marc Marquez and Max Biaggi.
The long-standing spat with Marquez is one of the most highly-documented rivalries in MotoGP history.
Following the events of the 2015 season, where Rossi believed that Marquez was aiding Lorenzo’s title charge, the pair of riders have rarely uttered a word to each other since.
In the case of Biaggi, the rivalry ended up coming to blows during pre-podium celebrations at the 2001 Catalan Grand Prix after The Doctor reigned supreme over his arch-nemesis at the time.
They are all part of the legacy of MotoGP’s most recognisable rider, and are one of the many reasons why he will never be forgotten.
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