Francesco Bagnaia ‘staying out’ of Valentino Rossi’s latest Marc Marquez comments
"I was not riding in MotoGP during those years, and I want to remain outside because it’s something that I don’t care.”
Francesco Bagnaia has made clear he will remain ‘outside’ of any hostilities between his mentor Valentino Rossi and future factory Ducati team-mate Marc Marquez.
Rossi re-opened one of the most controversial chapters in MotoGP history during a recent podcast, where he repeated his stance that Marquez had a pre-meditated plan to help Jorge Lorenzo at the end of the 2015 season.
Asked for his opinion on Rossi’s latest words, on the eve of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna round, reigning double champion Bagnaia said:
“Honestly, I’m out of this... I was not riding in MotoGP during those years, and I want to remain outside because it’s something that I don’t care.”
With the 2015 Rossi-Lorenzo title fight nearing its climax, Rossi publicly accused Marquez of ‘dirty tricks’ on the eve of the penultimate round in Malaysia - just days after Marquez had beaten Lorenzo with a last-lap pass in Phillip Island.
In the aftermath of Rossi's accusations, Rossi and Marquez battled furiously in the early laps of the Sepang race, before a frustrated Rossi forced Marquez wide.
The Repsol Honda rider crashed as a result, while the subsequent penalty points handed to Rossi - when combined with an earlier penalty point – meant he started last on the grid at the Valencia showdown.
Lorenzo went on to win the world championship by five points.
