Marc Marquez tells Valentino Rossi his true stance on keeping their “fight” alive

Marc Marquez has responded to Valentino Rossi’s recent tirade by making his own feelings known about their feud.

Rossi reopened the scars of their battle from 2015 recently, blasting Marquez as unsportsmanlike and blaming the Spaniard for his failure to win the MotoGP championship in that notorious season.

Rossi’s brutal words came at a time when Marquez was preparing to step into the Ducati garage alongside VR46 protege Pecco Bagnaia.

But Marquez has now responded.

“Two can’t fight if one doesn't want to,” Marquez was quoted by Marca.

His attempts to throw cold water on the fire started by Rossi might be the ideal tactic ahead of 2025.

Marquez must adapt to the factory-spec Ducati after a season of riding the year-old version.

Finally with identical machinery to Bagnaia, and with champion Jorge Martin adapting to the Aprilia, Marquez has a full view of another MotoGP championship.

Marc Marquez ‘didn’t ask why, I said ‘where do I sign?’’

Marquez reflected on a buoyant 2024 which represented a major comeback from the crashes and injuries that blighted his final days at Honda.

He was able to sustain a title challenge until the latter rounds of the championships, and returned to race-winning ways thanks to his decision to swap Repsol Honda for Gresini Ducati.

"When from one day to the next you experience the other side of sport, the bad one, it changes you without you looking for it,” he said.

“With the injury you enter a negative spiral and then you know what can happen.

“When you come back from injury and even with discomfort you see that it is not normal to win, that it is normal to be second, third or worse, because they win one and lose 20.

“That's why I enjoy the victory now much more than before.

"In this year's team I have found the perfect environment to be reborn, to be there without pressure, to have fun. Gresini is a passionate team, which belonged to Fausto and now is run by his wife with lifelong people and it is a satellite team. It mixes passion with professionalism.

"In sport you live in the present, you are worth what you have done in your last races, and I was just standing out, adapting to the Ducati, I was getting better and better.

“When they told me that I was the chosen one I didn't ask why, I just said 'okay, where do I sign?' and that's it.

“Gigi Dall’Igna told me and I reacted gratefully and I'm going to try to make it the right decision.”

Marquez had a football comparison for joining Bagnaia in the garage.

"Vinicius is the one who is there, he is the reference,” he said about the Real Madrid footballer.

“Then Mbappé will have an adaptation.

“Pecco is the benchmark in the Ducati box, he has won 11 races this year, he has played for the World Championship until the last race and he has been twice world champion in that box."