Rossi: Sepang comments changed nothing

"My statements did not change anything" - Valentino Rossi.

20 Jan 2016

Valentino Rossi 'thinks' he is over the disappointment of losing the 2015 MotoGP title at the very final round.

But that doesn't mean he has softened his stance on the controversy with Marc Marquez during the closing races of the season.

Speaking during Monday's Movistar Yamaha launch, the only clarification Rossi made was addressed to those who feel the Italian lit the fuse for his own downfall by attacking Marquez in the Sepang pre-event press conference.

"I don't agree with those who say Marquez acted against me after the press conference at Sepang," Rossi said. "He had already decided to do everything possible so that I did not win the title. My statements did not change anything."

Rossi accused Marquez of trying to help Jorge Lorenzo in Australia, adding that the Honda rider was "angry and thinking like a child" following their earlier clashes and saw a title win for Lorenzo as "the lesser evil."

Against that backdrop, Marquez and Rossi then battled furiously over third place in the Malaysian race, until Rossi lost his cool and forced Marquez wide. Contact was made, leaving Marquez on the ground and Rossi with three penalty points.

Due to an earlier penalty point, the Yamaha rider was demoted to last on the grid at Valencia, where he lost the championship to team-mate Lorenzo.

Marquez rejected Rossi's claims, declaring he was managing his front tyre in Australia - where he passed Lorenzo for victory on the last lap - and that he was trying to break away from Rossi at Sepang.

The double MotoGP champion was again in Rossi's sights after finishing a close second to Lorenzo in Valencia, where Rossi stated the Honda rider "wanted to finish his work and protect Lorenzo".

"If the target was [to help Lorenzo] I would have stayed ten seconds behind and not taken any risks... When people say you didn't try to win the race, I feel insulted," Marquez responded.

Rossi and Lorenzo briefly shook hands at the 2016 Yamaha launch, the nine time world champion explaining they are "team-mates and must be professional enough to put personal problems aside and work together at Yamaha."

But he has no need for such a relationship with Marquez: "Fortunately, Marquez is not in my team!"