Pedro Acosta thinks MotoGP has changed for the worse since Marc Marquez was fighting Valentino Rossi

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Marc Marquez is the last alien left on the MotoGP grid from the premier class’ iconic era featuring legends Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa.

Marquez joined the renowned group of aliens from the moment that he debuted for Honda in the 2013 MotoGP season, replacing Stoner at the Japanese team following his retirement at the end of 2012. The 2013 campaign even marked the most dominant season for the aliens.

Over the 18 rounds held in 2013, as Marquez won the first of his seven premier class titles so far, the Spaniard, Rossi, Lorenzo and Pedrosa accounted for 90.7% of the podiums scored that term. The four aliens occupied 49 of the 54 podium places between them during 2013.

The 2009 MotoGP season was the most dominant term for the original four aliens, as Rossi won what would mark his seventh and final premier class title. Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner achieved 86.3% of the 51 available podium places and the top four in the standings.

Pedro Acosta feels MotoGP now lacks the fights that Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi enthralled fans with

But while MotoGP now has more riders reaching the rostrum today, with 13 different stars scoring podium finishes through the first 20 rounds of the 2025 season and seven of those winning Grands Prix, KTM ace Pedro Acosta feels the series is “different” from the alien era.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend

Acosta believes the alien era when legends like Rossi and Marquez went toe-to-toe featured fights that got fans out of their seats, but MotoGP lacks those duels now. Before Marquez’s season-ending shoulder injury, he was in a league of his own with 11 wins in 18 Grands Prix.

Acosta has told Motorsport.com: “I thought the races were really cool back when Rossi and Lorenzo fought, or Lorenzo and Pedrosa, or Rossi and Marc. Those battles got fans off the couch. Now, it’s different.

“The way I see it, the other riders want the same thing I do. And if they have to go over me to get it, they will. I give everything to achieve what I want, which is to win the MotoGP title.

“I think about it 24 hours a day. I didn’t come here to make friends — the real ones I already have outside.”

Headline wins for Alex Marquez, Johann Zarco, Fermin Aldeguer and Raul Fernandez have masked 2025’s forgettable nature

Rossi and Marquez were often embroiled in controversial fights, and the former’s duels with Lorenzo whilst teammates at Yamaha are etched into MotoGP’s history. But few races from the 2025 season will be remembered like Rossi and Marquez’s spat during the 2015 season.

This season has featured a number of highlight races for certain riders. Alex Marquez scored his first MotoGP race win at Jerez, home hero Johann Zarco won the French GP at Le Mans, rookie Fermin Aldeguer won the Indonesian GP and Raul Fernandez won the Australian GP.

But apart from the headline results from those select Grands Prix this term, most races have been forgettable affairs for on-track action. Marc Marquez won the Italian GP after an early duel with Francesco Bagnaia and Alex Marquez at Mugello, but he ran away after Lap 9/23.