Despite racing for the home team in Italy, Ducati’s Marc Marquez was booed relentlessly by the crowd at Mugello in painfully awkward scenes.
The Spaniard made the switch to the senior squad for the 2025 season and already looks near certain to continue their new era of dominance and add his seventh MotoGP world title.
Marquez won the sprint to extend his title lead but struggled to force a smileAFPHe’s won four of eight feature races and seven of eight sprint races this season, and at the Grand Prix of Italy he recorded his 100th pole position, extending his record.
Yet despite doing it for the home team Ducati, the crowd went for him non-stop due to his legacy with the country.
Out of the title race in 2015, Marquez was accused by Italian legend Valentino Rossi of slowing down to push him back into the grasp of championship rival Jorge Lorenzo.
Marquez responded to those claims by doing exactly that next time out in Malaysia, repeatedly slowing to mess with Rossi who responded with a tangle that knocked him off his bike.
Rossi received penalty points for the Valencia season finale which sent him to the back of the grid, unable to contend with Lorenzo who took the win and the championship.
The rivalry is one of the most bitter in motorsport history, and is still dogging the sport to this day as showcased by the boos.
Marquez won the sprint race in Italy on Saturday, but during the crowd’s uproar, team manager Davide Tardozzi attacked his countrymen in the Italian stands.
He was filmed shouting: “Shut up! Shut up! The shirt is red!” at supporters in the main stand.
Later, he asked for an end to the booing and came up with an idea as the now retired Rossi was present for the weekend.
“I think unsportsmanlike behaviour is no longer justified when it’s related to the events of ten years ago,” he said.
Tardozzi waved his shirt at the fans to tell them Marquez is one of themGetty He told them to shush in a powerful imageGetty“The time has come to turn the page and look forward, especially for Marc and Valentino, and to send positive messages.
“Yesterday, Marc had an exceptional race. I was very grateful to those who shouted ‘Pecco Pecco’ [Marquez’s Italian teammate] under the podium, even though he didn’t win, but Bagnaia still had a good race and finished third.
“If you don’t like Marc, just don’t applaud, but in my opinion, whistling is absolutely unsportsmanlike.
“I don’t want to go back to the episode of ten years ago, whose fault it was; for me it’s fifty-fifty. But after all this time, two super champions like Vale and Marc should look forwar.
“I would like them to shake hands, because the past can no longer be changed.”
Getting a handshake will be a tricky feat, given that Rossi once brutally snubbed Marquez in front of the world’s media.
MotoGPLast time Marquez tried to shake Rossi’s hand he was snubbed in front of the world’s media[/caption] MotoGPThere’s still tension from their 2015 crash[/caption]The pair put their differences aside in 2016 and shook hands on the podium in Barcelona after the death of Moto2 rider Luis Salom a day earlier.
However, in 2018 after repeated tangles, the pair disagreed in the press ahead of another Italian race in Misano and Marquez offered to make amends.
“For me it’s nice, and of course for me it’s no problem to shake hands,” he said stretching out his arm, only for Rossi to respond by shaking his head.
“It’s like this, what can I say?” Marquez said to the media in attendance. “Already a second time. No problem, I will race the same.”
Rossi then responded: “We don’t need to shake hands, we are ok. We don’t have any problems.”
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( ‘Shut up!’ – World champion relentlessly booed by his own home fans as manager pleads with crowd )
Also on site :