News Summary
- Marc Márquez criticized the official MotoGP broadcast after it repeatedly switched from images of him to Valentino Rossi during Friday Practice at Misano.
- The Ducati rider argued that MotoGP already has “enough spectacle on track” without using the old rivalry to generate additional drama.
- Rossi is at Misano during the San Marino GP weekend and is preparing the release of his new autobiography, La mia storia, which is expected to revisit the controversial 2015 MotoGP season.
Marc Márquez was unimpressed with the official MotoGP broadcast during Friday Practice at Misano after television directors repeatedly followed images of the Ducati rider with shots of Valentino Rossi watching from trackside.
The editing inevitably revived memories of one of the most bitter rivalries in modern MotoGP history — something Márquez clearly felt was unnecessary.
The most obvious example came while Márquez was fighting Marco Bezzecchi for the fastest time during Friday Practice. The cameras followed the Spaniard through Turn 8 before immediately cutting to Rossi watching the session from behind the barriers.
It happened again after Márquez returned to the Ducati garage to change tires. Sitting in the pits and watching the world feed on a monitor, the Spaniard noticed another sequence involving Rossi and looked away.
Asked afterwards about the broadcast choices, Márquez made his frustration clear.
“I think we already have enough spectacle on track without having to deal with these games,” he said.
The sequence came during a session in which Márquez and Bezzecchi were already providing plenty of sporting drama. After Márquez had led FP1 at Misano by only 0.060s, Bezzecchi responded in Practice with a 1:30.144 to beat the Ducati rider by 0.103s.
Márquez-Rossi rivalry returns to spotlight at Misano
The reaction has particular significance because the relationship between Márquez and Rossi remains inseparable from the events of the 2015 MotoGP season.
Tensions escalated dramatically during the closing rounds of that championship, culminating in the Malaysian GP at Sepang, where Rossi and Márquez became involved in an incident that ended with the Spaniard crashing.
Rossi was penalized for the incident and accumulated enough penalty points to force him to start the season finale at Valencia from the back of the grid. He recovered to fourth, but Jorge Lorenzo won the race and secured the championship.
More than a decade later, the episode remains one of MotoGP’s most debated controversies. The television direction at Misano therefore carried an obvious implication when it repeatedly juxtaposed Márquez and Rossi.
Márquez, however, would rather the focus remain on the current championship.
That argument carries particular weight this weekend. The Spaniard arrived at Misano only 19 points behind championship leader Jorge Martín, while Bezzecchi was another 5 points behind. Just 24 points separated all 3 contenders before the San Marino GP. The championship scenarios for Martín, Márquez and Bezzecchi are detailed here.
Márquez also arrived in outstanding form after scoring the maximum 37 points at Aragón, although he had already warned that Misano would be “more complicated” for Ducati.
Rossi prepares new autobiography
The Márquez-Rossi story has also returned to prominence because Rossi used the Misano weekend to promote his new autobiography, La mia storia — My Story.
The book is scheduled for release on November 10, 2026 and promises Rossi’s own account of his life and career, including previously untold stories from behind the scenes. Its publisher describes the book as Rossi’s attempt to tell his version of events both on and off the track.
The Italian retired from MotoGP at the end of 2021 after winning 9 world championships across the Grand Prix classes and remains one of the championship’s most recognizable figures.
His presence at Misano naturally attracts considerable attention, particularly because the circuit is close to his hometown of Tavullia and the VR46 team is based in the region.
But Márquez’s message was straightforward: MotoGP’s current action should be compelling enough without repeatedly returning to the rivalry of 2015.
And the action at Misano supports his argument. Bezzecchi and Márquez were separated by just 0.103s on Friday before continuing their fight in qualifying, while Martín remains directly involved in an increasingly tight championship battle.
MotoGP returns to the track on Saturday for the 13-lap San Marino GP Sprint at 15:00 local time. Sunday’s 27-lap Grand Prix starts at 14:00. See the complete Misano weekend schedule.
GRANDE PRÊMIO follows all the action from Misano throughout the San Marino GP weekend.
FAQ
What happened between Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi at Misano?
During Friday Practice for the 2026 San Marino GP, the official MotoGP broadcast repeatedly cut from images of Márquez to Rossi watching trackside. Márquez criticized the editing and said there was already enough spectacle on track without such “games.”
Why did Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi fall out?
Their relationship deteriorated dramatically during the 2015 MotoGP championship, particularly around the Australian and Malaysian Grands Prix. Their Sepang confrontation became the defining incident, with Rossi receiving a penalty that forced him to start the Valencia finale from the back of the grid.
When is the 2026 San Marino MotoGP Sprint?
The Sprint at Misano starts at 15:00 local time on Saturday, September 12 and runs for 13 laps. The main Grand Prix is at 14:00 on Sunday.
