Espargaro’s verdict on notorious Marquez vs Rossi bust-up: “Both guilty!”

The fall-out from the conclusion of the 2015 MotoGP season - ultimately won by Jorge Lorenzo - is still being felt today with Marquez and Rossi both speaking about their clashes this year.

Rossi was accusing Marquez deliberately trying to assist Lorenzo in the fight for the title. In the penultimate race in Sepang, Rossi and Marquez clashed, and the Spaniard hit the deck.

Rossi was punished by starting the season-finale from the back of the grid and he couldn’t do enough to claim the championship, but again insisted that Marquez was riding to prevent him from becoming champion.

"I did not like absolutely everything that generated the action between Marquez and Rossi,” is the verdict from Espargaro who was racing alongside them. 

“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. 

"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.”

Marquez spoke about these incidents on his Amazon Prime documentary at the start of this season.

“Was I going to help him win a title? No,” he said about Rossi.

“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.”