MARQUEZ INSISTS A PEACE DEAL WITH ROSSI IS IMPOSSIBLE AS 2027 RIDER SWITCHES SET UP NEW CROSSOVERS

Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez’s rivalry has never really cooled since it flared during the 2016 MotoGP season, and a new piece of the 2027 junior-to-pro pathway could ensure the feud keeps evolving rather than fading. According to recent reporting, neither rider has shown a willingness to move on: Rossi is said to have never forgiven Marquez for what he felt was an effort to help Jorge Lorenzo win the 2016 title, while Marquez has made clear that he doesn’t believe the Italian can simply be left out of the reconciliation process.

Marquez’s stance was summed up in a comment carried by the report, with the Spaniard describing it as “impossible” to find a solution with Rossi. The reasoning, as presented, is that Marquez feels neither needs the other, and therefore neither has sought to make peace. The same account also notes that their paths have already crossed in a way that underlined how far apart they remain: in the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix pit lane, the pair reportedly chose not to even look at each other.

The latest twist is that their respective “students” may end up sharing the same garage more often than expected. For 2027, CFMoto Aspar has confirmed a Moto2 line-up featuring Celestino Vietti and Maximo Quiles. The team needed two new riders because CFMoto’s current Moto2 duo—Daniel Holgado and David Alonso—are set to move up to MotoGP next year, with Holgado joining Gresini and Alonso signing with Honda.

CFMoto Aspar confirmed Vietti for 2027, with the 24-year-old moving over from the intermediate-class rivals SpeedRS. Vietti’s arrival completes the team’s Moto2 roster after CFMoto signed Quiles earlier in July. Quiles’ promotion is also framed as a step up within the same structure: he currently races in Moto3 for CFMoto in 2026 and is described as leading the standings with 231 points, holding an 85-point advantage over Alvaro Carpe.

The report adds that Vietti will join Quiles at CFMoto after deciding to switch from a Boscoscuro chassis to a Kalex setup. It also states that Vietti had missed out on a MotoGP opportunity and a move across to World Superbikes, and that he is seventh in the Moto2 standings for SpeedRS. His gap to the top of the table is given as 85.5 points behind Manuel Gonzalez of Intact GP, also riding a Kalex.

Beyond the team announcement, the Rossi–Marquez angle comes from who these riders represent. Vietti is identified as a VR46 Academy product, having joined Rossi’s academy in 2016. Rossi had reportedly considered Vietti as an option for a 2027 MotoGP ride, but ultimately chose against offering his Academy rider a premier-class seat. Meanwhile, Quiles is described as the first rider signed to Vertical Management, the company founded by Marc Marquez and Alex Marquez in 2023. The report also says Quiles regularly trains with the Marquez brothers as they work toward helping him reach MotoGP.

Quiles’ own comments earlier this year are included as part of the storyline: he claimed that Marc Marquez has promised to “wait” for him to debut in MotoGP before the 33-year-old retires, so the two can race against each other.

With Vietti and Quiles now set to become teammates at CFMoto Aspar in Moto2, the rivalry between their mentors could take on a more direct competitive edge. The report suggests that Rossi and Marquez may be reluctant to see the other’s pupil gain control of the same team environment, and that both are likely to push their riders to outperform the opposition.

The broader 2027 picture also includes VR46’s plans in MotoGP: it was confirmed that Fermin Aldeguer will join VR46 in 2027, and the report says it is widely expected that he will be joined by Ducati’s 2026 World Superbike champion-elect Nicolo Bulega. It further explains that an effective seat swap is understood to be in place, with Franco Morbidelli moving to production-based racing when Bulega takes his spot in the prototype bike series.

Taken together, the CFMoto Aspar Moto2 line-up doesn’t just reshuffle riders—it potentially sets the tone for the next phase of Rossi and Marquez’s long-running conflict, now filtered through their academy systems and the prospect of their protégés competing side by side in 2027.