Davide Tardozzi once explained why he felt Casey Stoner was a league above Marc Marquez in MotoGP

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Casey Stoner is one of the most enigmatic world champions in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing, and Davide Tardozzi has previously explained how the two-time world champion was a league above Marc Marquez.

Since joining the premier class one year after the retirement of Casey Stoner, Marc Marquez has drawn a lot of comparisons to the Australian star.

The adaptability that Marquez displayed during 2025 was one of Stoner’s most important attributes, and can be seen as a crucial factor in both riders being able to win a MotoGP title with two different constructors.

In fact, it was Stoner whom Marquez replaced at Honda upon his arrival in the premier class in 2013.

After winning the title with the Japanese constructor in 2011, the Australian announced his intention to retire from Grand Prix motorcycle racing during the 2012 season, citing his dwindling passion for the sport and a desire to spend more time with his family.

• READ MORE: The MotoGP rider who compares himself to Casey Stoner even though he’s never won a premier-class title

Davide Tardozzi recalled Casey Stoner’s incredible ‘natural talent’ on MotoGP machinery

In an episode of Ducati Diaries that was released in August 2024, Davide Tardozzi sat down with Neil Hodgson to discuss the Italian’s 30-year history at Borgo Panigale.

On the topic of Casey Stoner, Ducati’s very first world champion in MotoGP, Tardozzi wasn’t short of superlatives for the Australian, noting how he surpasses even Marc Marquez in one attribute he has on two wheels.

The Ducati team manager said, “He is the number one since 30, 40 years ago, I guess. I think that Casey has a natural speed that nobody else has had in the last 30 years, even Marc or whoever.

“Marc is a fantastic, talented guy, but I tell you this because when [Stoner] came back to us from Honda as a tester, it was two years since he last tested in MotoGP, 2017 or 2018, I don’t remember exactly.

“We went to Sepang to test. He put on the suit, he went out, and we told him, ‘Okay, enjoy the bike and make some laps, it’s been two years since you’ve ridden a MotoGP [bike].’

“At the time, the lap record in Sepang was something around two minutes, there wasn’t anyone under two minutes zero, and his third flying lap was a 2:01. Third flying lap! That’s natural talent.

“As you know, whenever there were some wet or difficult track conditions, in the first three laps, it happened at Philip Island, he was five seconds faster than second.

“The feeling that these kinds of people have, like Marc Marquez has with the limit, belongs to natural talent. Casey, to me, has been the number one in the world for years and years and years.”

Sylvain Guintoli was also present for the test that Tardozzi is referring to during his duties as a Suzuki test rider that year, alongside his full-time ride in the British Superbikes championship.

The Frenchman remembers the day vividly, recalling it eight years later during TNT Sports’ coverage of a practice session during the 2025 San Marino GP.

• READ MORE: Jack Miller pinpoints the Casey Stoner moment that made him realise he wanted to be a MotoGP rider

Casey Stoner was in awe of Marc Marquez during his 2025 title-winning campaign

Marquez received plaudits from pretty much everybody within the world of Grand Prix motorcycle racing during his dominant campaign in 2025 that saw him clinch the title with five rounds to go.

Stoner was one of those to pay tribute to the high-flying Spaniard and was often left in awe at how ‘phenomenal’ Marquez was at times.

The factory Ducati man won 25 races in 36 attempts across all formats in the newly-concluded season, and could have added many more to his tally if not for an unfortunate injury that ruled him out of the final four rounds.

Stoner ‘didn’t foresee’ Marquez’s dominance during his debut year in red with the Borgo Panigale-based racing team, so it came as a bit of a surprise for the Australian to see the Ant of Cervera return to his absolute best form during the season.

The two riders will surely go down in history as two of the very best to ever strap on the red overalls for Ducati, and potentially two of the very best in the history of MotoGP altogether.