Marquez admires Rossi’s rise in form

Marc Marquez said it was just amazing how Valentino Rossi revived his career after a few bad seasons, adding that he probably wouldn’t have been able to do it on his own.

Rossi became runner-up this season, winning two races and it was his best season since 2009 when he last celebrated the world title.

The 2010 season was marred by a broken leg for the Italian, followed by two years at uncompetitive Ducati. He finally returned to Yamaha, where he raised his form to an enviable level this year.

“Amazing. After two not so good seasons at Ducati, he returned to Yamaha, where he was also not very good. But this year he has shown that he is a very strong competitor, ”Marquez commented on Rossi's form. “After three or four years without good results, it’s hard to come back, and he came back much stronger. In Malaysia, it drove me at 35 degrees all the way to the last three laps. I respect him immensely. I want to follow his example in the future, but it will be difficult. ”

Rossi's performances also surprised Jorge Lorenzo, an Italian teammate. ”It's hard to stay confident when you realize that you have a very strong opponent as a teammate who is faster than you,” Lorenzo admitted. “Some racers have become slower and slower in the past with a faster teammate. With Valentin, however, it was just the opposite and now I find it very difficult to beat him. He may even be too strong for me. I would rather see if I was a slightly easier opponent, ”added the Spaniard, who noticed at Valentino this season how much effort the Italian has invested in improving his form.

“After three bad seasons, especially those two at Ducati, he came back much stronger. He has improved his driving style. He also trains even more with the team in the garage and spent hours and hours trying to improve the engine settings with them. ”