2015 MotoGP World Championship
The season had 18 races, beginning in Qatar and finishing in Valencia, which determined who would be world champion between Movistar Yamaha teammates Lorenzo and runner-up Valentino Rossi.
This season is well known for the Sepang clash, which involved a collision between two-time defending champion Marc Márquez and then-championship leader, Rossi.
[11] The Australian Grand Prix was won by Márquez, with Lorenzo second, Ducati's Andrea Iannone finishing third and Rossi fourth, in a race considered to be one of the greatest in MotoGP's history.
[13] Despite the incredible response from fans, Rossi was uphappy with how the race unfolded and, in the following pre-event press conference at Malaysia one week later, accused Marquez of helping Lorenzo in his title aspirations (a claim which Márquez refuted).
[14][15] The Malaysian race was originally at risk of cancellation due to smoke from fires in Indonesia impacting the track, but ultimately went ahead.
[16] However, the incident divided fans, pundits and the riders on the grid, and Lorenzo was booed from the podium after giving Rossi a thumbs down gesture.
[20] Márquez defended his riding style in Malaysia, stating his disappointment towards both his rival's actions on the track and subsequent comments made to race direction.
[15] The fallout from the Malaysian race included a clash between the Márquez family and Italian television reporters who invaded the family property in Barcelona, wrongful accusations of Lorenzo storming race direction to demand a penalty for Rossi, and hostile reactions by some fans in response to Rossi's appeal of the penalty being unsuccessful.
FIM president Vito Ippolito deemed the events as having a "damaging effect on the staging of our competitions" and "[poisoning] the atmosphere around the sport".
Ippolito and Dorna Sports boss Carmelo Ezpeleta called for a private meeting of all riders and crew chiefs in Valencia and cancelled the pre-event press conference.
Bold – Pole Italics – Fastest LapLight blue – Rookie Each constructor received the same number of points as their best placed rider in each race.
