REPSOL Honda's Marc Marquez has said he is 'insulted' by people, including Valentino Rossi, stating that he didn't try to win at Valencia and instead allowed Jorge Lorenzo to take the chequered flag and the championship.
The controversy regarding the Sepang indicent with Valentino Rossi is still lingering, as is the frosty atmosphere as the Italian declares Marquez's behaviour at Valencia was unacceptable.
Lorenzo had the early pace as Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa worried about tyre life due to problems in practice, but it didn't take long for both to catch the Yamaha rider.
Marquez admits to attempting to make a late move on Lorenzo, but wanted to remain 'cautious' and so it appeared he didn't have the pace to match Lorenzo.
'We lost a lot under acceleration and braking and it was too far. The only place where we could close on Lorenzo was in turn five or six. With four laps to go I tried to pass, but I was cautious,' explained Marquez.
'Then Dani came like a rocket! With two laps to go on the back straight I knew it would be tough, we lost time and Jorge was able to open up a half second gap. I tried to recover it in the last lap, but it wasn’t enough.
'Finally Jorge was the champion who deserves it. He and Valentino both deserved it; one had great speed and the other the consistency. In the end of the year Lorenzo gained speed, but I think Valentino made a great season and would have also been a worthy winner.
'On the podium I felt strange, what can I say, there were some boos. It’s complicated for a rider, of course, but I have a clear conscience and so do my team.
'We tried the maximum; we have given 100 percent in every race. We have struggled to get the maximum points possible and wanted to end the year with a victory. It was not to be, but hey, in the end I didn’t want to see a world champion booed.'
However, Rossi believes that Marquez could've won, but instead handed the championship to his Spanish compatriot. This was in fact mirrored by the boos both Lorenzo and Marquez received on and off the podium.
Speaking about Rossi, Marquez commented: 'It is clear that the words of Valentino to his fans will weigh a lot. Valentino has won with charisma throughout his career and he is the benchmark for any rider.
'For me, for a rider with a winning mentality, telling people I did not want to win a race is an insult because whenever I go out I go to win and do the best job possible.'
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