The legendary feud between Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez has been a hot topic of conversation in the MotoGP paddock since 2015. A decade later, it remains at the forefront of discussion. Sporting icon Casey Stoner recently shared his thoughts on the ongoing conflict, revealing some fresh insights during the Ducati Diaries podcast.
According to Stoner, Marc Marquez a, in a way, " deserved "the criticism he faced." Marc Marquez, to some extent, deserved his criticism ", he said on crash.net. He explained that Marquez had tried to interfere in the conflict initiated by Rossi : " he tried to get in there. »
However, Stoner sheds light on the true origin of this discord, pointing the finger Valentino Rossi. " Even though people blame Marc for the whole thing ", he said, " they forget that It was Valentino Rossi who started it all. Marc is Marc, we've seen him do this throughout his races, and then Valentino started a war of words. They were all friends and everything, and then Valentino started something, and then Marc retaliated because he didn't like it. And then of course, everyone took it out on him, forgetting that Valentino went to tease the bear »
Casey Stoner: “ Valentino Rossi Teased Worst Rider on the Grid »
Stoner also criticizes the strategy of Rossi, calling it a major tactical error. if someone is driving aggressively and you know they are capable of it ", did he declare, " don't go thinking you're above him, to scare him because you're not going to scare someone like Marc Marquez. So, everything he did, in a championship year that he could potentially have won again, it's literally teasing the worst driver on the grid: someone who can fight you, someone who is faster than you, and someone who can potentially to knock you out of a race or championship »
The Australian also discussed attempts to Rossi to play mental games with Marquez, strategies that had lost their effectiveness since the end of the 2000s. I think when Valentino was at his best, he was able to to impose itself in the minds of the pilots who surrounded him, and I think he still believed that was what was happening He explained.
Finally, Stoner stresses that the new generation has learned from these clashes, making the provocations of Rossi less impactful: " we had learned his tricks, we had learned what he was capable of, and we had learned how to handle this situation. »
Despite this tumultuous rivalry, Stoner et Rossi recently put aside their differences during a surprise appearance in Tavullia at VR46 Ranch, marking a reconciliation between the two MotoGP legends.
