MARQUEZ SAYS HE WON’T TURN MEDIA INFLUENCE AGAINST RIVALS

Marc Marquez says he may use media attention to his own advantage, but will not turn it into a weapon against another rider.

“I will never use the power of the media against somebody,” the MotoGP champion said in an interview with Autosport. He explained that influence comes from what a person has done in the past, and said he might use the media for his own benefit—not to attack rivals, but, as he put it, “to try to be quiet.”

The comments carry particular resonance given Marquez’s history with Valentino Rossi. Their feud erupted at Sepang in 2015, after Rossi accused Marquez of trying to help Jorge Lorenzo win the championship. Marquez fought Rossi hard in the Malaysian race, the pair made contact and Marquez crashed. Rossi was penalised, and the points he accumulated meant he had to start the Valencia finale from the back of the grid. He recovered to fourth, but Lorenzo won the race and the title.

Marquez was often on the receiving end of the dispute’s media fallout. In 2018, after another collision—this time in Argentina, where Rossi crashed following contact initiated by Marquez—Marquez offered Rossi a handshake at a press conference. Rossi declined. He continued to speak about Sepang after retiring, describing it as an incident that cost him a 10th world championship.

Both riders have been known for their mental resilience and their ability to put pressure on opponents. Marquez’s latest remarks draw a distinction between using publicity to manage his own position and using it to damage someone else.

The interview was published shortly before the Australian Grand Prix. Marquez went on to win the Sprint there after a multi-lap fight with Jorge Martin. Martin crashed at Turn 8 and fractured his wrist. The injury left his fitness for the following Malaysian round uncertain, while he headed there 10 points behind Marquez.