Rossi jokes daughter nearly shared Marquez's birthday

Valentino Rossi has said there was a risk his daughter Giulietta would be born on Marc Marquez's birthday, 17 February. Speaking to Radio Deejay, Rossi said he had asked his partner to hold off giving birth for 24 hours.

Rossi and Marquez have not reconciled since their dispute over the end of the 2015 season, when Rossi accused Marquez of trying to sabotage his title hopes. Rossi recently described his 2015 title loss as still stinging and called Marquez's actions absurd while promoting his new autobiography.

The comments have drawn criticism on social media, particularly as Marquez nears an eighth MotoGP title that would move him ahead of Rossi on the all-time champions' list. Rossi's book is currently out in Italy, with an English-language version expected in February next year.