“Brutal” 2015 hasn't tainted Jorge Lorenzo’s respect for Valentino Rossi
“We would both have won more without the other…”
Jorge Lorenzo says his final MotoGP title-winning year in 2015 was “brutal” due toꦜ the controversy centring on Valentino Rossi, but now has “the utmost respect” for the legend.
Lorenzo 🧜and Rossi enjoyed a fractious relationship as team-mates at Yamaha between 2008 and 2010, and then again fro🦹m 2013 to 2016.
Their rivalry perhaps reached boilin𝐆g point in 2015, when Lorenzo won the championship amid accusations from Rossi that Marc Marquez was conspiring to deny the Italian t🐭hat year’s world title.
It is a claim that Rossi upholds to this day.
Lorenzo’s third MotoGP title coming in the Valencia finale in 2015 was met w🎃ith backlash from Rossi fans and a muted response from his Yamaha team, with the Spaniard ultimately signing to race for Ducati for 2017.
Speaking at the Festiℱval dello Sport in Italy last week, Lorenzo touched on his fi🍬nal world title and his rivalry with Rossi.
“Evidently, ever♊yone had believed Valentino's version,” Lorenzo said about what happened that season.
“2015 was a brutal year: everything happened. You have to think about the fact ꧙that I had never been solo leader until the last race.”
Lorenzo briefly led the championship after the Czech GP that year, but was level on poin🐓ts with Rossi.
Nine-time world champion Rossi sat atop the standings until the Valencia finale, though Lorenzo ultimately won more grands pr💙ix than his team-mate wiꦉth 7-4.
“We would both have won more without the other,” he adds of their time racing tog🙈ether.
“But, thanks to our rivalry, we were much faster.
“Today, [I have the] utmost respect for him.
“We h♑ave all benefited from his charisma, because it has allowed many people to get closer to world motorcycling, giving visibility to t🐷he championship.”
Lorenzo’s relationship with Rossi not affected by Biaggi friendship
Rossi had rivalries with a number of high-profile riders acro🦋ss his career, with his first big one in the premier class coming against Max Biaggi.
Biaggi was Lorenzo’s hero gr꧃owing up and became friends with the Italian, though doesn’t believe his relationship with Rossi was impacted in anyway by t🅺his.
“Max Biaggi was my idol,” Lorenzo said.
“The first time I met him we talked ab🍃out many things, including Valentino Rossi.
“I immediately told him that he was my favourite. I don't think that my friendship with Max conditioned my relatio൩nship with Rossi.
“Surely✱, what was m🌺ore important was the speed he put on the track.”
