Opinion: Rossi shows he's still haunted by the demons of 2015

The non-verbal expressions of both Rossi and Marc Marquez during the pre-event press conference for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix were a perfect reflection of the pair’s respective moods.

One, already crowned champion, had no problem responding when asked about the controversial episode that unfolded here in 2015. The other merely insisted he has already said all he has to say.

It’s clear that this cataclysm, which well and truly overshadowed the title won by Jorge Lorenzo, has had much influence on the two protagonists of the sport, even though the feeling left behind in each is very different.

Each time Rossi is put in front of a microphone, his demons seem to return, and he cannot avoid talking in terms of “theft” and other words to make it clear he believes the title rightfully was his, and was stolen from him.

He has not turned the page, and is unlikely to if his entourage, the first who believed there was a conspiracy involving Marquez and Lorenzo, insists on a daily basis that he can never forget it.

Marquez, however, takes a much more natural stance, and is much less tense when looking back on the events of 2015 – even after he suffered physically at the hands of a couple of Rossi’s more fervent supporters.

Jarvis admits Rossi was wrong

The passing of time tends to make people think differently. This seems to be the case especially for Yamaha team boss Lin Jarvis, who recognises what most felt 12 months ago: Rossi made his worst ever mistake, misjudging Marquez’s reaction to being accused of manipulating the title race.

Jarvis says the Italian should have kept his mouth shut, because all he succeeded in doing was awaken the animal inside Marquez – a rider who, at that point, had nothing to lose.

And that’s coming from someone who knows how critical Rossi is to the Yamaha operation, who has consistently backed him, and in doing so opened the door for Lorenzo’s departure.

Rossi thought that the pressure exerted on Marquez in that press conference would keep the Catalan away from the fight, the thing he felt was preventing him from beating Lorenzo to the crown.

Looking back, Marquez realises something positive happened – he saw things that he had previously not seen, and he is a stronger and more confident rider for it.

The Doctor, meanwhile, denies everything, because he considers it a trap, but also surely because he learned something: that Marquez is exactly like him.