Rossi: Marquez saves are no longer a coincidence

On his way to his fourth MotoGP title last year, Marquez had numerous impressive saves, including one in the title-deciding Valencia race, when he narrowly avoided a crash.

Rossi praised Marquez for his ability to avoid crashes, something the Italian feels can no longer be down to pure luck.

The Yamaha rider reckons it is a combination of Marquez's style and the Honda bike that helps him pull off such moves.

"It's impressive what he's doing also because he doesn't crash so often anymore," Rossi told Riders magazine. "He had so many saves last year that it can't be a coincidence.

"For me, he worked to improve his technique, his style or riding helps him.

"I don't know if it is natural or something he worked on, but he puts his body between the bike and the asphalt, using it not to fall."

Rossi claims that with a bike other than the Honda, it wouldn't be possible to avoid crashing.

"I don't think it's the electronics, but the bike itself," he continued. "The Honda is made in a way that when the front wheel closes, it still continues to lean.

"[With] a bike like ours, if you close the front wheel, it touches the bottom and you can no longer pull up."

Additional reporting by Matteo Nugnes