Marco Bezzecchi
Dani Pedrosa was one of the inaugural inductees into MotoGP’s Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Pedrosa is one of 17 riders in the Hall of Fame, which is reserved for legends with multiple MotoGP world championships or at least 25 victories.
While Pedrosa never won a premier-class title, he did win three championships in the lower classes. He also won 31 top-level races, which ranks him inside the all-time top 10.
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Riders like Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia have yet to be inducted because their careers are still ongoing, but both have done enough.
Dani Pedrosa talks up David Alonso’s potential
In an interview at the launch ceremony last autumn, Pedrosa was asked which riders in Moto2 and Moto3 have the potential to join him in the Hall of Fame one day.
One of the riders he mentioned was David Alonso, the 2024 Moto3 world champion. Alonso finished ninth in his first intermediate class season, which included a maiden victory in Hungary.
A run of three podiums in the last four races suggests Alonso can challenge for the Moto2 title in 2026. Pedrosa also pointed to Maximo Quiles, who won three times en route to third place in Moto3 last year.
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Quiles is mentored by Marc Marquez as a member of the Vertical sports management stable.
Pedrosa said, via the Paddock Pass podcast: “We don’t know, we can’t tell. For sure, there is a lot of potential for guys like Alonso and even Quiles.
“There is a lot of talent coming up and people who will take over another generation and make the sport great.”
David Alonso is already attracting interest from the Ducati MotoGP team
Alonso is fielding interest from every MotoGP manufacturer and is seen as the ‘next in line’ for a premier-class seat in 2027.
Marquez saw himself in Alonso when the young Spaniard won at Balaton Park. Perhaps he will advise him to join Ducati.
Luigi Dall’Igna will roll out the ‘red carpet’ for Alonso, likely offering him a Ducati-backed satellite ride if there’s room in the setup.
Both riders named by Pedrosa could feasibly win titles next year, which would paint a glowing picture of the Spanish motorsport scene.
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