– Marc Marquez knows that his time at the top will not last forever. While the Ducati star continues to work on the records of MotoGP legends, he is already looking at the riders who could one day replace him.
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In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, the nine-time world champion talks about Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, the inevitable generational change, and explains why a possible successor does not worry him.
Rossi or Lorenzo? Marquez names strongest opponents
When asked who was the strongest rider he has ever competed against, Marquez’s answer is nuanced. For him, it depends heavily on the respective time.
“There is more than one answer to this question. When I came into the world championship, Jorge Lorenzo was the strongest because he was the best at that time,” he recalls. At the same time, Marquez makes it clear that the overall view is different. Because Valentino Rossi was still among the top of MotoGP back then.
“But on the track, there was also Valentino. And overall – the numbers say – he was better than Lorenzo,” states the Spaniard. With this, Marquez clearly classifies the two: while Lorenzo set the sporting standard when entering the premier class in his view, the historical record speaks for Rossi.
Photo gallery: Rossi vs. Marquez: The duel of the year 2015
The Italian won nine world championships and celebrated 115 Grand Prix victories across all classes. In the premier class, he still holds the record with 76 wins.
Marquez, on the other hand, now stands at 73 wins in MotoGP and a total of 101 Grand Prix victories. Thus, he is only a few wins short of Rossi and also of catching the legendary Giacomo Agostini (122 Grand Prix wins).
Records have lost significance for Marquez
But the pursuit of records no longer drives the Ducati rider as much as it used to, according to his own statement. “No. Or rather: If you had asked me that five years ago, I would have clearly said yes. Back then, I would have said that I was trying to catch them,” he says about possible further records.
The difficult years after his upper arm injury in 2020 fundamentally changed his perspective. After several operations, long rehabilitation phases, and doubts about a return to the top, it is now a gift for him to be able to race at this level at all.
“After everything I experienced between 2020 and 2023, it is a gift for me to be here at all. Therefore, it makes no sense to think about such records.”
For him, it is an honor to see his name at all in the record lists alongside Agostini and Rossi. “But whether I have one more or less title will no longer change my life,” the reigning world champion says relaxed.
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Photo gallery: The career highlights of Marc Marquez
He sees the decisive turning point last year: “I found peace with myself in Motegi when I proved to myself that I can still win.” At that time, he completed his ninth title prematurely.
His greatest wish was not to end his career with the consequences of his rushed comeback attempt after the Jerez accident in 2020. “I have won again, and now I am doing well,” emphasizes the Spaniard. A tenth world championship or further records would not fundamentally change that.
Acosta as new teammate: “Hope he challenges me”
When asked about the prospect of racing together with Pedro Acosta for Ducati in the future, Marquez remains calm. Acosta had stated that he wants to learn as much as possible from the Spaniard. However, Marquez does not expect any grace period.
“I hope so. Because that would be the most natural thing. No one is invincible,” he says. If Acosta actually beats him, that would not be an extraordinary event for him.
“If he beats me, it is nothing other than what happens to everyone: eventually, a younger one comes along and does it better than you. But we will only talk about that next winter.” With this, Marquez emphasizes that the generational change in motorsport is inevitable, and that he neither fears nor suppresses it.
Not just Acosta: Marquez sees several successors
When directly asked if Pedro Acosta is the rider who will one day dethrone him, Marquez throws several names into the ring: “There are two or three. There is also Fermin Aldeguer, who is practically still riding with only one leg at the moment. Then there are David Alonso and Maximo Quiles.”
Above all, Acosta and Aldeguer are already considered central figures of the next MotoGP generation today. David Alonso is about to move up as a Moto2 rider, while Maximo Quiles is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish talents in Moto3.
Marquez makes it clear that the future of MotoGP does not depend on a single rider, but could be shaped by a whole wave of young exceptional talents.
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His message is clear: Even if Marquez continues to fight for wins and titles, the nine-time world champion knows that eventually a new generation of riders will inevitably take over. And when that moment comes, the Spaniard wants to accept it as a natural course of top-level sport.
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