Marquez on Rossi: “I made a mistake, apologised - but he accused me, strongly”

Their rivalry has been scrutinised again due to Marquez’s new documentary, in which he details every aspect of his career including his relationship with fellow MotoGP riders.

He believes Rossi intentionally kicked him off his bike at Sepang in 2015 and ridiculed his rival’s accusations that he was intentionally helping Jorge Lorenzo - but has also admitted fault for their clash in Argentina in 2018.

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“Since Argentina 2018, I have not spoken to him again,” Marquez said. 

“So, everything had happened and we had a cordial relationship. Yes, it is true that I made a mistake. 

“In motorcycling there are overtaking to the limit, and sometimes they are not completely controlled. It happens in all categories. 

“My front wheel went off when I was overtaking him and I hit him, he fell. They penalised me for it and I apologised. 

“But he accused me, strongly, even in bad manners, and, from there, I said that I did not want to know anything.”

Marquez had started from 19th due to a penalty but was charging through the field, up to seventh behind Rossi, when he attempted an overly-aggressive overtake. Rossi went down, Marquez received a 30-second penalty.

Repsol Honda boss Alberto Puig tried to apologise to his Yamaha counterparts but was dramatically dismissed, before Rossi told reporters that he didn’t feel safe racing alongside Marquez.

It was, ultimately, another chapter in their fiery rivalry.

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"With Valentino, I have learned a lot from him and he has been a benchmark for motorcycling in general,” Marquez said. 

“But, over the years, I have learned that you cannot be friends with everyone. With Valentino there have been good times and bad, and now each one goes their own way.

"But it will happen to me too, it's the law of life. There comes a time when a young man arrives and beats you, and you can't do anything. 

“At first, it's hard to digest this, but the reception was good, it was also good from Dani Pedrosa. We also had our clashes, with Dani, Lorenzo... I arrived aggressively. I went with everything.”

Marquez can equal Rossi's tally of seven premier class championships if he wins the MotoGP title this year.