How Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi became one of MotoGP’s most heated rivalries in history

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Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi were involved in a heated rivalry that will forever be etched into the rich history of MotoGP.

Marquez and Rossi will go down in history as two of the greatest riders to ever race in MotoGP, having won a combined total of 14 world titles in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing.

Rossi dominated the sport in the 2000s, winning the title in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009.

Meanwhile, the Marquez era started in 2013, when the Spaniard won the MotoGP world title as a rookie; he then added further titles in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2025.

It has been well documented that Marquez idolised Rossi when he grew up and even had posters of the Italian in his bedroom.

However, once Marquez made it into the sport and won the world championship as a rookie, it became clear that the Spaniard would soon threaten Rossi’s status.

Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi’s rivalry erupted in 2015 as Jorge Lorenzo won the title

In 2014, the pair were fighting for the world title, with Marquez eventually coming out on top by finishing 67 points ahead of Rossi.

A year later, things began to get out of hand, with several incidents marking the end of their friendship and the start of a heated rivalry.

The 2015 MotoGP title race ended up being an intra-team battle at Yamaha, with Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo going for the crown.

Marquez was unable to sustain his challenge due to a difficult Honda bike and his own mistakes.

At that time, it became evident that Marquez was increasingly putting aggressive moves on Rossi, which led to the Italian doing the same.

Which of the current MotoGP grid would beat prime Valentino Rossi today?

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Valentino Rossi infamously kicked Marc Marquez off his bike in the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

As the 2015 season arrived in Australia, Marquez won the race ahead of Lorenzo, with Andrea Iannone third and Rossi only fourth.

Despite the race being one of the best in MotoGP history, Rossi was left fuming and claimed that Marquez was helping Lorenzo, something Marquez has rejected.

At the time, Rossi said, via Crash: “Mainly, I think his target was not just to win the race, but also to help Lorenzo to go far and try to take more points from me.” 

During the Malaysian Grand Prix, Rossi and Marquez’s rivalry reached a flash point as they came together at Turn 14, a move that made people feel that Rossi had knocked Marquez off on purpose.

However, the Italian has always denied the claims, stating that his foot was caught on Marquez’s bike.

Despite his explanation, ‘The Doctor’ was handed a severe penalty and had to start the Valencian Grand Prix from last place.

In the end, Rossi lost out to Lorenzo in the world title fight by just five points, with Marquez some way behind in third place.

READ MORE: Valentino Rossi names the MotoGP champion who plans to follow him into GT racing when he retires

Will Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi ever end their rivalry?

Although many years have flown by and both riders are now on seven MotoGP world titles, the pair’s relationship remains frosty.

The rivalry is also deeply rooted in both riders’ fans; for example, in 2025 Marquez was booed by the crowd in Italy after winning the Sprint at Mugello.

After that, the crowd then cheered when Marquez suffered a race-ending accident during the San Marino Grand Prix.

In November 2025, Marquez was asked about potentially ending the feud with Rossi; the Spaniard was clear with his response, stating that ‘I don’t need him’.

He said: “We each do our own thing, and he probably doesn’t need me, and I don’t need him.

“But in the end, motorcycling needs both of us, and that’s where we come together.”

Ultimately, it is clear that the relationship between Marquez and Rossi is beyond repair, but both riders know they will forever be legends of the sport and gave the world one of the best rivalries in history.