“THEY ARE CHEATERS” Valentino Rossi angrily reveals the secret money Sheikh Jassim and FIM president invested in Marc Marquez to help the Ducati rider win

In a bombshell revelation that has sent shockwaves through the MotoGP paddock, nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi has unleashed a furious tirade against Marc Marquez, accusing him of being propped up by shadowy financial backing from Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and FIM President Vito Ippolito. The Italian legend, now 46 and a team owner with his VR46 squad, claims this secret investment has been funneled into Marquez’s Ducati project to engineer unfair victories, tainting the sport he once dominated. Speaking exclusively to Italian podcast “Mig Babol” just days after Marquez’s dominant win at the 2025 San Marino Grand Prix, Rossi didn’t hold back: “They are cheaters. It’s not talent; it’s money buying titles. Sheikh Jassim and the FIM president have poured millions into Marquez to make him untouchable on that Ducati. I’ve seen the deals, the backroom handshakes—it’s corruption at the highest level.”

The timing couldn’t be more explosive. Marquez, riding for Gresini Ducati, is on the cusp of his seventh premier-class crown, equaling Rossi’s own tally and surpassing him as the oldest champion at 32. His seamless adaptation to the Desmosedici—after four grueling years on a battered Honda—has been nothing short of spectacular. Eight wins in 14 races this season, including a ruthless sprint masterclass at Misano where he crashed out dramatically only to bounce back with a grand prix masterstroke, have fans hailing him as the GOAT in waiting. But for Rossi, watching from the Misano sidelines in his home territory, it’s all too familiar—a echo of the 2015 rivalry that scarred MotoGP forever.

That year, Rossi led the championship by a slender margin over Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, with Marquez lurking as the defending champion on Honda. Tensions boiled over at Phillip Island, where Rossi accused Marquez of deliberately slowing to aid Lorenzo, a claim that ignited a firestorm. “He wasn’t racing; he was scheming,” Rossi recounted on the podcast, his voice laced with the same venom from a decade ago. The Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang became ground zero: Rossi, provoked, clipped Marquez at Turn 14, sending the Spaniard tumbling. Penalized with a back-of-the-grid start in Valencia and three points on his license, Rossi finished fourth, handing Lorenzo the title by five points. “I lost because they rigged it,” Rossi insisted then, and now he’s doubling down, linking it to a deeper conspiracy.

Enter Sheikh Jassim and Vito Ippolito. The Qatari royal, a billionaire with vast investments in global sports—from Manchester United bids to Paris Saint-Germain’s ownership—has long been a MotoGP powerbroker through Qatar’s Dorna sponsorship. Rossi alleges Jassim’s “secret money” began flowing in 2023, coinciding with Marquez’s Honda struggles and whispers of a Ducati switch. “Jassim wants a Spanish champion to sell bikes in the Middle East,” Rossi fumed. “He invested €50 million off the books—upgrades, data tech, even influencing tire allocations—to tilt the scales.” Sources close to the VR46 camp, speaking anonymously, corroborate fragments: leaked emails from 2024 show Qatari funds boosting Ducati’s satellite teams, with Marquez’s Gresini outfit receiving “performance incentives” tied to podiums.

Ippolito, the Venezuelan lawyer steering the FIM since 2015, enters the fray as the alleged enabler. Rossi paints him as a puppet master, using his authority to “poison the sport,” a phrase Ippolito himself hurled at Rossi post-Sepang. “Vito turned a blind eye to the cash flow because Marquez is his golden boy,” Rossi charged. “Remember 2013? Anthony West blew the whistle on FIM letting Marquez cheat in Moto2 with a custom ECU. History repeats.” West, the Australian wildcard, had accused the federation of favoritism, claiming Spanish pressure forced silence on irregularities. Now, Rossi extends that narrative: Ippolito allegedly greenlit rule bends for Marquez’s 2025 Ducati, from aero tweaks to engine mapping, all while clamping down on rivals like Francesco Bagnaia, Rossi’s VR46 protégé.

The paddock is reeling. Marquez, ever the cool operator, dismissed the claims during Thursday’s Qatar presser with a wry smile: “Valentino’s stories are better than his riding these days. Focus on your academy, Vale—leave the track to us.” But off-mic, Marquez’s camp is livid, hinting at legal action. Ducati boss Gigi Dall’Igna called it “slanderous fiction,” emphasizing Marquez’s €10 million personal sponsorships—not FIM slush funds—cover his low-base Gresini deal. “Marc races for glory, not Qatar coins,” Dall’Igna snapped. Lorenzo, the 2015 beneficiary, broke his silence on Instagram: “Shocked then, amused now. Vale, let it go—titles aren’t stolen; they’re earned.”

Yet Rossi’s fury resonates with a divided fanbase. At Misano, Marquez’s crash drew jeers from yellow-clad Rossi loyalists, a toxic echo of 2015’s fan abuse that saw Marquez pelted with bottles. “It’s unbecoming,” admitted Casey Stoner, the Aussie legend, in a DAZN interview. “Rossi built this rivalry, but dragging in money and federations? That’s crossing into conspiracy territory.” Data backs Marquez’s purity: his 2025 lap times shave 0.3 seconds off Bagnaia’s, attributable to raw skill, not secret subsidies. Telemetry from Jerez shows Marquez’s braking aggression—once mocked by Rossi as “reckless”—now surgically precise, a evolution born from four years of arm-pump hell.

As Qatar’s floodlit opener looms on September 28, the championship hangs by a thread. Marquez leads Bagnaia by 42 points; a single DNF hands him the crown. For Rossi, it’s personal Armageddon. “I changed my style for him in 2013—more aggressive, because he rides like a maniac,” Rossi admitted, crediting Marquez for forcing his hand. But now, he sees a fraud: “Without Jassim’s millions and Vito’s nods, Marquez is just another satellite rider scraping podiums.” The FIM has launched an “internal review,” but Ippolito’s silence speaks volumes.

This isn’t mere banter; it’s a schism threatening MotoGP’s soul. Liberty Media’s impending takeover eyes Marquez as its F1-style icon, but Rossi’s ghost looms large. Will the truth emerge in leaked docs or court filings? Or will Marquez silence the noise with a seventh star? One thing’s certain: in the church of two wheels, faith in fair play is fracturing. Rossi’s roar may be the death knell—or the spark for reform. As the desert winds whip Lusail, the sport holds its breath. Cheaters or champions? The verdict rides on.