---
title: "Rossi/Lorenzo relationship on the mend?"
canonical: "https://readmotorsport.com/2017/01/03/rossilorenzo-relationship-mend/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Lewis Duncan"
section: "MotoGP News"
published: "2017-01-03T15:53:03Z"
modified: "2017-01-03T15:53:52Z"
---

# Rossi/Lorenzo relationship on the mend?

2017 heralds a new chapter for the Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo story, with the latter lining up for Ducati – the team Rossi famously had his biggest career slump with in 2011 and 2012. Much has been made of the Spaniard’s move to the Italian manufacturer, his motives and his prospects, but both riders agree that their separation will make things easier for them.

[Speaking to Britain’s Motorcycle News](https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/motogp/2017/january/motogp-lorenzo-and-rossi-hoping-to-bury-the-hatchet/), Lorenzo likened the situation between himself and Rossi to other famous motor racing rivalries and admitted that being friendly with a highly competitive teammate is a rather futile exercise.

![Mirco Lazzari gp/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/01/623639662.jpg)

“It’s always that when you have two cocks on the same farm it’s difficult – that’s always the way it is. The same (happened) in Repsol (Honda) with Doohan and Criville, or in Formula One with Senna and Prost – it’s always hard because you want to beat the guy with the same bike or same car.

He added: “It’s difficult to be friends with a rider you want to destroy. Finally, now, Rossi and I will still compete in the same category but with a different bike, and that makes a big difference.”

The rivalry between Rossi and Lorenzo has been one of MotoGP’s fiercest and most enthralling. Lorenzo’s arrival at Yamaha in 2008 unsettled Rossi, and as the young pretender began to beat the master the competition grew harsher.

![Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readmotorsport.com/readmotorsport/2017/01/86223087.jpg)

Things settled down when Rossi moved to Ducati, and remained reasonably calm during the first two years of his Yamaha comeback. However, the intense title battle of 2015, as well as the events of Sepang, saw hostilities between the pair at their most volatile.

Despite their relationship hitting a new low, tensions do appear to be thawing. [Speaking to MCN also](https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/motogp/2017/january/motogp-lorenzo-and-rossi-hoping-to-bury-the-hatchet/), the Italian mentioned that Lorenzo and he shared a moment following the final race of the 2016 season in Valencia, hopefully signalling the mending of an extremely battered fence.

“It was a good moment,” said Rossi. “After the end of last year especially, our relationship wasn’t a good one, but we’ve been together for a long time. He came to me and said good words about our relationship and it was a nice moment, and I’m happy with how it ended.”