Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez rivalry erupts again at Misano
Valentino Rossi counts Marquez among his biggest career rivals (Apex Agency)
13:30, 15 Sep
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Connor Andrews is Formula 1 and MotoGP writer for GPblog and various outlets. Having worked in motorsport for 15 years for leading companies, he has interviewed the sports biggest names and attended multiple Grands Prix.
MotoGP returned to what used to be Valentino Rossi’s home race, and his rivalry with Marc Marquez was more in the spotlight than ever.
The Italian motorsport legend was on the scene in Misano to support his VR46 Racing team at the track near where he was born and grew up.
Yet, sadly for him in 2026, the king of the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli was his bitterest rival - Marquez.
The Spaniard put in yet another stunning display to win the sprint and Grand Prix, erasing a previous 102-point deficit to move level at the top of the riders’ championship.
The two still haven’t made up following the 2015 championship, when Rossi’s title fight with Jorge Lorenzo became dominated by Marquez’s involvement and their infamous crash in Malaysia, which ended his challenge.
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And in Misano, it was clear tension was still as high as ever.
Before the weekend, Rossi announced that he would be releasing a new autobiography, and it didn’t take long until Marquez was asked about it during a mixed zone media appearance.
Marc Marquez responds to Valentino Rossi autobiography
Replying to a question about whether he will read it, the No.93 said: “I don’t know if he will speak about it [our rivalry] or not.
“Why not [read it]? Maybe when I retire I will read it to try to learn new things because in the end it’s good to learn from all the legends of every sport.
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“I read some books, some biographies and why not? You always learn from the top legends and sportsmen.”
Rossi and Marquez appeared to keep their distance in the paddock, but a post from MotoGP showed just how raw things still are.
Rossi reaction to Marquez moment ignites MotoGP debate
It appeared to show Rossi celebrating Jorge Martin’s early overtake on Marquez, blowing up their social media comments, with fans quickly taking sides.
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This year takes on particular significance in the pair’s legacies, as another title for Marquez would see him overtake Rossi in the all-time standings.
Currently, they both have the same number of world championships, with seven in MotoGP and one in each of the two junior categories.
A title for Marquez would see him move up to 10 overall, taking outright third in the all-time list, putting him just three from Angel Nieto and five from Giacomo Agostini.
Rossi reunites with VR46 Academy stars at Misano
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As for the rest of Rossi’s weekend, he still got to enjoy some time with current and former VR46 Academy riders.
He was seen greeting team leader Fabio Di Giannantonio and celebrating his qualifying performance, later giving advice on the iconic track.
The 47-year-old also met up with Marco Bezzecchi, who was seen still dealing with his knee injury before a high-speed crash in Sunday’s race.
And back to business, he was also on the scene to welcome Nicolo Bulega back to the MotoGP paddock.
The WorldSBK championship leader will be racing for VR46 next season, and Rossi explained why the choice made perfect sense.
“It’s a good story because Nicolo started with us, with the academy at the beginning of his career,” he said.
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“We helped him a lot, so everybody expected a lot from Nicolo from the beginning, but unfortunately maybe he was not ready, maybe unlucky.
“He knows the new bike because he’s the tester, so I think it can be fun.”
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Overview
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
08:30 AM
Practice 2
12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
08:30 AM
Qualification
12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
11:00 AM
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
Thu 08:30 AM
Practice 2
Thu 12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
Fri 08:30 AM
Qualification
Fri 12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
Sat 11:00 AM
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