How the MotoGP championship could be decided in court

Armed with a lap-time sheet from the Australian race and an agenda, Rossi came to the press conference and told the MotoGP world that he was very upset at how Marc Márquez had deliberately ridden slower than he was capable of in order to try and ruin Rossi's race, in turn helping compatriot Jorge Lorenzo in the battle for this season’s title.

Rossi was accusing Márquez of sabotage. Márquez denied any allegations, but the seed was planted. Rossi went a step further speaking to the Italian media. He questioned Márquez' character and his personality. He questioned whether Márquez actually was a fan of the Italian; as had been reported for years. He said Márquez was doing it after Rossi came out on top during collisions in both Argentina and Holland earlier in the season.

Rossi believed that Márquez was sabotaging his title challenge, as he couldn't win it himself. It was a staggering attack, which even prompted Marc's mother Roser to find pictures of a young Márquez' room showing the posters.

Many said it was the master of mind games doing his thing, but this was different to the games he had played with Max Biaggi or Sete Gibernau. This seemed far less planned and thought through than previous mind games.

Come race day, it took just three laps for Márquez and Rossi's paths to cross on track. Jorge Lorenzo had squeezed past Rossi into turn one - and no, it wasn't under yellow flags, no matter how many times you ask - and by turn four he had taken advantage of a Márquez mistake and was ahead of the pair.

Conspiracy theorists will say that Lorenzo got past Márquez far too easily, but it was clear to anyone watching the race that the world champion was struggling to keep control of his Honda RC213V, especially on a full tank of fuel.

What followed next was a three-lap, 15-overtake battle between the 36-year-old legend and the 22-year-old world champion. It was everything to love about motorcycle racing. But for Rossi it was evidence that Márquez was doing exactly what he said he would do. For Rossi, Márquez wasn't following the "un-written rule" that you do not interfere with a rider in a championship battle when you're not in it, and that was seriously upsetting him.

First came an aggrieved wave, as if to say: ‘what are you doing?’. Then after a series of tight moves on lap seven, Márquez found himself on the outside of Rossi going into the tight right-handed turn 13. Rossi on the inside had run out of patience with Márquez. He looked over his left shoulder once, twice and then a third time. By the third time, his bike was no longer turning right like it should've been. Instead it was upright, forcing Marquez wide. As he went wider and wider Márquez was fast running out of room. As a result he lent right to try and make the corner. As he did, he found a Yamaha M1 and with a very angry Italian on board. As he leant on the Italian, Rossi stuck his knee out to get him off. A combination of all these factors saw Márquez end up falling. As he went down the back straight, Rossi looked over his right shoulder, back at Márquez, who was desperately trying to remount, but subsequently had to retire due to damage sustained in the crash.

Depending what colour those tinted specs are, you'll have seen different things. However, what those with clear specs can see is that Rossi did not kick Márquez, any more than Márquez head-butted Rossi's knee. It is obvious that Rossi didn't intend on making Márquez crash, but he did mean to push Márquez wide - he even admitted as much. The Doctor was no longer racing; he was taking matters into his own hands. It was a moment of madness.

As soon as it happened, other riders past and present gave their opinions on the matter. Former world champion Casey Stoner and four-time World Superbike World Champion Carl Fogarty suggested that Rossi should’ve been disqualified. While new British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes and former MotoGP riders Michael Laverty and Jeremy McWilliams placed the blame on Márquez’s shoulders.

Regardless of any intent, or lack of, Race Direction decided to award Rossi three penalty points, due to dangerous riding, which combined with the single point already to his name from an incident in Misano with Jorge Lorenzo equates to Rossi having to start the race from last position.

Race Direction won’t have taken this decision without careful consideration. Meetings were held with both riders involved. It was all very calm inside Race Direction, however outside of Race Direction, it got ugly. Shortly after the race had finished, there were allegations being thrown from both sides.

Repsol Honda team manager Livio Suppo said Rossi had kicked Márquez, and then got engaged in an argument with Rino Salucci, the long-time president of Valentino Rossi's official fan club, and father to Rossi's best friend and right hand man Alessio Salucci, otherwise known as Uccio, before Malaysian circuit officials intervened. Whilst Maurizio Vitali, another member of Valentino Rossi's entourage had to be torn away from Márquez's personal manager, Emilio Alzamora, inside the Honda garage by Marc's younger brother, Alex.

When word came out that Rossi was 'only' going to be forced to start from the rear of the grid in Valencia, Jorge Lorenzo said that he felt Rossi deserved a harsher punishment, while title sponsor of the Factory Honda team, Repsol, issued a statement, questioning the sportsmanship of Rossi. It was intense and unlike anything seen in recent years.

Then came the rumours.

They went from saying that Lorenzo had met with Márquez in Andorra - the country of Márquez' residence, to the story that Yamaha were considering terminating Lorenzo's contract after his criticism of the punishment issued out by Race Direction. None of which would be proved correct or acted upon, even if Lorenzo has had to issue a statement denying any meeting took place. It was front-page stuff in the Italian and Spanish media with the story on the front page of football-dominated Marca in Spain, while over in Italy Gazetta Dello Sport recorded a record 32 million page views in the wake of the clash.

Shortly after the punishment was handed out Valentino Rossi appealed the penalty. Race Direction immediately threw his appeal out, but he has now gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (it’s worth stressing that Rossi went to the CAS on his own, not through his team).

CAS will make a decision on whether to suspend his penalty. If they do so, he will be allowed to qualify and take a normal starting position. It could then get messy should his penalty be upheld at a later date, with CAS rules allowing a third party (Márquez or Lorenzo) to then get involved.

It’s tough to see CAS overturning the suspension given out by the FIM, especially when Hector Barbera was given a similar penalty to Rossi for a much worse incident shortly before the race in Sepang.

But, as things stand, Lorenzo is overwhelming favourite to claim the 2015 MotoGP World Championship, his third overall. We go to Valencia and should Lorenzo finish in either first or second position and Rossi not find himself joining his team-mate on the podium, he will be crowned champion. If Lorenzo is third, Rossi just needs to finish sixth, a more than manageable task for a man hunting his tenth world championship.