If you thought it impressive that the bitter yellow fans could hold a grudge longer than your wife then prepare to be gobsmacked and kicked off your bike as Valentino himself has stepped up to prove he’s still chomping on a big bowl of resentment when it comes to his Spanish rival.
The Doctor, 76, appears to be still reeling from the recent incidents of 2015 that cost him the championship that occurred a mere nine years ago. With Marquez moving to the factory Ducati team in 2025 Rossi could be realising the possibility that his loathed rival will defeat his protégée Pecco Bagnaia and in doing so win the world title and match his number of overall championships.
Unhappy with this Vale (as his fans like to call him in the weird belief that doing so will indicate they’re his actual friend) went on a rant in the L’Équipe publication bemoaning Ducati’s decision to hire Marquez.
What did he say? It’s hard to know as only the French speak French anymore as it’s a rubbish language. However it was eventually translated by some historian into the superior language of English allowing us to ponder over the Italian’s publicised sulk.
Here it is:
“I didn’t quite understand it Ducati had an interesting system in place, with a pyramid that allowed young riders to progress.
“So Pecco was brought on board, and both Martin and Marco Bezzecchi were also waiting for him. And suddenly Ducati decided to bring Marc in.
“It’s normal that the riders feel betrayed. From one moment to the next they no longer count, so I’m not surprised that they consider the choice of Marquez to be a joke.
“The consequence of that the signing of Marquez is the breaking of the alliance with Pramac.”
So, with the help of our team of highly paid linguists, we at MotoGP News have broken down this semi-strop to reveal for the first time what Rossi was saying between the lines:
“I didn’t quite understand it Ducati had an interesting system in place, with a pyramid that allowed young riders to progress.”
Translation:
I did not see this coming or want this to happen. I should have been informed so I could block it – like the way last year I managed to convince Pramac to block Marquez joining them for this season and take Morbidelli instead.
“So Pecco was brought on board, and both Martin and Marco Bezzecchi were also waiting for him. And suddenly Ducati decided to bring Marc in.”
Translation:
I need to mention Marco Bezzecchi as he’s one of my Neverland riders. The fact he’s the second to last Ducati rider in the standings has nothing to do with anything. Just in case you wondered the last Ducati rider in the championship is Morbidelli on the best bike…a terrible result but don’t worry I’ll give him a ride in my own team next season because that’s very fair and a great advert for taking on new and upcoming riders.
“It’s normal that the riders feel betrayed. From one moment to the next they no longer count, so I’m not surprised that they consider the choice of Marquez to be a joke.”
Translation:
Actually it’s only my VR46 riders that feel betrayed. Because it’s important for me to tell them to be offended by anything that Marquez does.
“The consequence of that the signing of Marquez is the breaking of the alliance with Pramac.”
Translation:
I’m pissed off that the rider I despise the most still has this much power – especially as everyone else is blissfully excited that we will have less Ducatis and more Yamahas next season. That’s not the point.
So there we go. Was Rossi correct? Or incorrect? Vote now: