Rossi expects "nothing special" between himself and Marquez

The duo were embroiled in a war of words after their on-track clash during the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Rossi saying recently that he felt "betrayed" by Marquez's "lies".

But speaking in the first official press conference of the year ahead of the season opener in Qatar, Rossi says nothing will change when they meet again on track.

"The rivalry is always something extra for motorsport, but I think nothing particular or special will happen," said Rossi.

"I think that on the track it will be the same. Everybody tries to give the maximum to ride in front, but without something more special."

Marquez added: "Like we saw in the past in MotoGP sometimes you try to beat your opponent - but in the end I have 20 opponents in MotoGP and I must fight against each one to try to win the championship, which is my target."

Rivalry good for MotoGP

Despite losing the title in the final race as a result of the penalty for his clash with Marquez at Sepang, Rossi hinted the controversy was positive in helping boost interest in the sport.

"I think in the last races of the year something different happened compared to what is normal. But it's in the past, we are here and we hope to have another good fight."

Marquez's Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa agreed that MotoGP had benefited from the exposure.

"I think it was a big moment for MotoGP, maybe not like everybody dreamed it, but it was big," said the Spaniard.

"The track [Valencia] was super crowded and we even had extra grandstands for the people and sell extra tickets, so this is clear a positive thing.

"Overall I think we can say that the MotoGP fans grew and that's what we look for."