Marc Marquez addresses Valentino Rossi as war of words continues

Marc Marquez has responded to bombshell remarks made by old rival Valentino Rossi.

Rossi sent the MotoGP world into a frenzy with a recent podcast appearance when he discussed the notorious conclusion to the 2015 season.

He claimed, among other things, that Marquez reacted with satisfaction when Rossi was handed a crippling penalty to start from the back of the grid in the last race of 2015 which ended his title hopes.

Marquez said to DAZN: "Logically I have heard it and also watched the video.

“Okay, but right now I have much more important things on my mind than to be attentive and pay attention to those words.

"I have the task on the track now.

“I am an active rider, so I am not interested or affected by those wars.

“I have already been through everything, so I know perfectly well where my head has to be.

“It didn’t happened in the past, nor will it happen now in the present, to let anyone mislead me.”

What did Rossi say?

He told a back-story about what happened as he received a punishment for contact with Marquez in Sepang in 2015, forcing him to start from the back of the grid in Valencia.

"[Marquez’s then-manager Emilio] Alzamora started insulting me, I asked him why he was there if he wasn't from Honda,” Rossi said.

“There was a bit of a half-scuffle. In the end, Mike Webb (race director) announced that I would start last in Valencia, something that has never happened in MotoGP.

“According to the rules, I should have had a ride through in Sepang. Instead of third I would have finished fifth.

“If they thought I had knocked Marquez down on purpose, they should have forced me to do it, but they didn't and they made up for me to start from last place in Valencia. They cut off my legs and I lost the championship.

“Marquez was there with his head down. I told him that he would carry this forward throughout his career, because it is disgusting for the sport to make someone else lose.

“The moment Mike Webb said I should start last in Valencia, my blood ran cold because I knew I had lost the title. But my first reaction was to look at Marquez, who looked up and looked at Alzamora as if to say: 'We have done it'."

Hat-trick of wins for Marquez?

Marquez arrives at this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna MotoGP seeking a third consecutive grand prix victory.

"14 days without winning are long, huh,” he joked to DAZN.

“Obviously, two consecutive victories give you that confidence and that spirit, which you already had.

“But above all I would highlight the confidence and tranquillity of continuing to do what you are doing, because everything is going well.

"It is true that we are starting a new weekend, but with the experience of the past and trying to decipher the track conditions, which will surely change a lot with colder weather and perhaps some rainy sessions.

He said about the recent Misano test: "Our test was based on failing things that we had tried during grands prix that had not worked, simply to discard.

“And yes, I finished the test with the same bike that I raced on Sunday because it was the one that I felt best in.”