Aprilia rider issues weighs in on the infamous Valentino Rossi-Marc Marquez clash in Malaysia in 2015

Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro has given his verdict on what happened between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez at the 2015 Malaysia MotoGP race, terming both of them a bit guilty.

In 2015, Marc was not a part of the title battle as a string of poor results had cost him dearly in the championship. The title battle was between the Italian legend and the Spanish star Jorge Lorenzo. Both riders were riding a Yamaga and were involved in what was an intense championship battle.

As it turned out, Valentino Rossi had spoken to the Italian media and pinpointed Marc Marquez as someone who would try to interfere in the title battle. Marquez had initially resisted these comments but during the race in Sepang, the Honda rider put forth a spirited defense against Valentino Rossi.

The two exchanged positions multiple times over a lap and while this continued, it helped Jorge Lorenzo to extend his lead on the duo by multiple seconds. To end the battle, Rossi would push Marc wide off the track and into the gravel. This led to a penalty for the Italian at the next race and effectively decided the title battle.

Talking about the incident eight years later, Aleix Espargaro felt both riders were at fault for bringing the sport into disrepute. As quoted by Crash.net, he said:

"I did not like absolutely everything that generated the action between Marquez and Rossi. I think they were both a little guilty. I think Marc should have had a little more class, with Valentino playing the world championship, and not hinder him so much in that race in Malaysia."

He added:

"Valentino's action is clear: Valentino takes him off the track and should have been sanctioned in that same grand prix. I think everything that happened was negative for our sport."

"They are, without any doubt, the two best drivers in the history of our sport and that they ended as they ended their relationship and all the prominence that the situation took was very bad for our sport.”

Marc Marquez's take on the Valentino Rossi incident

Marquez addressed the incident in his Amazon Prime documentary and touched on the influence that Valentino Rossi had on the media. He said:

“Was I going to help him win a title? No. I wasn’t motivated because of what he created. Because of what I lived during those two weeks. I don’t wish that on anybody, let alone at 22 years old. Just know that Valentino has a lot of power in the media, and people will be against you. If someone disrespects me, I’ve got the personality and the balls.”

It is unfortunate that two of the greatest talents of the sport have been unable to truly bury the hatchet after so many years.