Valentino Rossi says he wouldn’t have messed with Pedro Acosta if they were MotoGP rivals

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Valentino Rossi has given his take on the dispute between VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio and KTM’s Pedro Acosta at the French GP.

Di Giannantonio snatched fourth place from Acosta at the penultimate corner on the final lap of the race at Le Mans. He then looked back at the KTM bike as he approached the line.

Acosta was angered by Di Giannantonio’s gesture, warning the Italian that he would ‘remember’ it going into future races.

Does Pedro Acosta have the right attitude, or is he too aggressive?

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Valentino Rossi would stay ‘quiet’ against Pedro Acosta

Speaking to Sky Sports MotoGP at the Catalan Grand Prix, Rossi admitted that Di Giannantonio’s reaction may not have been wise.

Had the seven-time MotoGP champion been racing a rider of Acosta’s calibre, he would have been wary of giving him ‘extra motivation’.

Rossi retired from two-wheel racing at the end of the 2021 season, three years before Acosta reached the premier class. VR46 have been strongly linked with the Spaniard, which previously put Di Giannantonio under threat, but he’s now thought to be joining the factory Ducati squad instead.

• READ MORE: Pedro Acosta says he ‘needed one more lap’ to recreate iconic Valentino Rossi move in Catalan Sprint

“I would avoid overtaking Pedro Acosta and even looking at him, but that’s just how I am,” said Rossi. “I wouldn’t give such a strong rider any extra motivation: I would pass him, look ahead, quiet and content.

“But it’s also true that, often, we don’t know the history between the two riders, if there have been great battles or clashes. These are things that stay with the rider, and Di Giannantonio probably looked at him after overtaking him like that on the last corner.”

What did Pedro Acosta and Fabio Di Giannantonio say one week on?

Acosta adopted a different tone when he spoke to the media on Thursday. Rather than renewing his criticism of Di Giannantonio, he said both riders should be ‘ashamed’ of themselves.

After all, they were squabbling over fourth place rather than a race win or a podium. He says it’s time they put the spat behind them.

Meanwhile, Di Giannantonio insists he only wanted to defend his position and looked back to check the position of the KTM bike.

With Acosta heading to Ducati, Di Giannantonio will fill one of the KTM seats next year in a brand-new line-up alongside Alex Marquez.