“Brutal” 2015 hasn't tainted Jorge Lorenzo’s respect for Valentino Rossi

Jorge Lorenzo says his final MotoGP title-winning year in 2015 was “brutal” due to the controversy centring on Valentino Rossi, but now has “the utmost respect” for the legend.Lorenzo and Rossi enjoyed a fractious relationship as team-mates at Yamaha between 2008 and 2010, and then again from 2013 to 2016.Subscribe to our MotoGP NewsletterTheir rivalry perhaps reached boiling point in 2015, when Lorenzo won the championship amid accusations from Rossi that Marc Marquez was conspiring to deny the Italian that year’s world title.It is a claim that Rossi upholds to this day.Lorenzo’s third MotoGP title coming in the Valencia finale in 2015 was met with backlash from Rossi fans and a muted response from his Yamaha team, with the Spaniard ultimately signing to race for Ducati for 2017.Speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Italy last week, Lorenzo touched on his final world title and his rivalry with Rossi.“Evidently, everyone had believed Valentino’s version,” Lorenzo…