The Sepang 2015 ‘kick’: What do Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez say now?

Eight years ago, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez clashed in a moment so vitriolic that it still divides fans - and remains a source of antagonism between the great rivals.

Before the Sepang 2015 race, Rossi staggeringly accused Marquez of trying to deny him the title by aiding Jorge Lorenzo’s bid.

Days later in the grand prix their infamous ‘collision’ ended with Marquez hitting the deck, and Rossi, who was accused of kicking him down, slapped with a back-of-the-grid start for the season-finale which ultimately cost him the title.

As MotoGP returns to the scene of the crime, what are Rossi and Marquez’s latest thoughts?

Valentino Rossi: “There is a very deep wound, I think about it too much”

“If I think about those last three races from 2015 now, I have exactly the same feeling as when I crossed the finish line in 2015,” Rossi said on a podcast at the beginning of this year, the most recent time he has publicly discussed the incident.

“There is a very deep wound, I think about it too much.

“Fortunately I have done many other things that make me happy with my career but…

“In Malaysia he bothered me the whole race. He tried to throw me down. Then after the straight we touched.

“He says I kicked him. But I didn’t.

“Anyway, he crashed. After the race I went [to the stewards] and thought they would start him last - instead they started me last. 

“He ruined a crucial race for the world championship, the penultimate race of the championship.”

Marc Marquez: “Disrespectful, intimidation”

The rivalry was reopened by Marquez’s Amazon Prime documentary earlier this year.

He first mentioned the pre-race press conference in Sepang in 2015, when Rossi shared his claims of a conspiracy.

“The Malaysian press conference arrived and instead of taking me aside and speaking he attacked me publicly, it was disrespectful. I think it was intimidation,” Marquez said.

The documentary captured Rossi saying “bravo” sarcastically, and Marquez saying “beautiful kick” after their incident.

Marquez reflected on it: “Some people still say that I threw myself against his bike.

“‘He didn’t kick you, he only pushed his foot out a bit!’

“Whatever, he cornered me into the side of the track. Didn’t give me any room. And when he looked at me, he poked his foot out.

“It was also a mistake from the race director. If it isn’t Valentino Rossi, it’s a black flag and it’s over.”

The Amazon Prime director of Marquez’s documentary insisted that Rossi rejected the chance to have his say.

"We consulted Valentino, but he did not want to participate,” director Jaime Perez told Revelo. 

“We had a documentary by Marc Marquez, but we also talked about events involving Lorenzo or the first years with Pedrosa where he said strong things. 

“We went to them, we explained it to them and both, with all their rights, said yes, and Rossi, with all his rights, said no."

Jorge Lorenzo: ‘When you feel strong, you don’t talk about this stuff’

Lorenzo, Rossi’s rival and his Yamaha teammate, profited from the incident by winning the 2015 title.

“I think Marquez understood that Valentino did it on purpose,” Lorenzo says of the kick incident in Sepang.

Lorenzo added about Rossi’s feisty press conference: “When you feel strong and you know you’re going to win every race? You don’t talk about this kind of stuff.”

Marquez responded: “Lorenzo is right. If you’re fast then nothing bothers you and you don’t have time for nonsense. 

“If you aren’t fast and you feel inferior, feeling like you’re going to lose, you start looking for problems.”

‘He is still angry’

“He hasn't talked about it much with me, but I'm sure he's still angry,” Rossi’s brother Luca Marini, who was 18 at the time but now rides for the VR46 MotoGP team, said.

Aleix Espargaro recently touched on the topic for his social media channel: “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. 

"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.”