Jorge Lorenzo recalls Valentino Rossi’s low standing at Yamaha in 2013

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Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi had one of MotoGP’s most intense teammate rivalries during their time together at Yamaha, and the Spaniard has recently opened up about how he felt when The Doctor returned to the team before the 2013 season.

By then, Rossi was already a seven-time world champion, but that didn’t make things any easier for him when it came to dealing with the pressure surrounding his arrival.

Lorenzo’s relationship with Rossi was filled with ‘total tension’ from the very get-go, and the pair shared some of the most explosive moments in MotoGP teammate partnership history across the seven years they spent as counterparts.

Things really came to a head after their bitter 2015 title fight, but it was actually two years earlier that Lorenzo made his biggest move against Rossi. That’s when Rossi wanted to return to Iwata following a tough spell at Ducati.

Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi’s standing at Yamaha was ‘in the gutter’ in 2013

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During his Decoded documentary, which can be found on the Duralavita YouTube channel, Lorenzo spoke about how Rossi’s reputation within Yamaha had hit a low point ahead of his return for the 2013 season.

The three-time MotoGP title-winner said, “Valentino had two bad years at Ducati. And, with his tail between his legs, he decided to knock on Yamaha’s door and offer his services. So, wrongly, I didn’t stop him out of pride because he asked Yamaha, ‘Lorenzo or me?’

“And Yamaha replied, ‘We want both of you, but we’re not going to get rid of Lorenzo.’ I was the king of Yamaha at that point. I’d given them the last two world titles and Valentino Rossi’s value was in the gutter.”