The youngest race winners in the MotoGP era and premier class history including Marc Marquez

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Many young riders have proven that age is no barrier to success in the premier class in the 500cc era and the MotoGP era, including Marc Marquez in his historic rookie term.

Honda saw Marquez rewrite the history books in 2013, after giving the Spaniard his premier class debut to replace Casey Stoner. The Cervera native became the youngest rider to win a MotoGP title in his rookie year, after scoring six Grand Prix wins and 16 podiums in 18 races.

Marquez wasted no time before becoming the at-the-time youngest rider to score a podium in the MotoGP era, after sealing third on his debut in the 2013 Qatar Grand Prix. It also only took Marquez two rounds to get his first MotoGP race win in the 2013 Americas Grand Prix.

The Circuit of the Americas would become Marquez’s playground during his MotoGP career, and it witnessed him lead an all-Spanish podium in the 2013 Americas GP. Marquez led his Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa by 1.534s, with Yamaha rival Jorge Lorenzo 3.381s shy in P3.

Marc Marquez is the youngest rider to win a Grand Prix in the MotoGP era

Marquez’s maiden Americas GP victory in round two of the 2013 MotoGP season made him the youngest rider to score a Grand Prix win in premier class history. He also took the record for being the youngest rider to take a Grand Prix win in the MotoGP era away from Pedrosa.

READ MORE: The youngest riders to debut in the MotoGP era, including Marc Marquez

Honda saw Marquez secure his first Grand Prix victory 63 days after his 20th birthday, which destroyed the record the Japanese crew saw Pedrosa achieve by winning the 2006 Chinese GP by 164 days. So far, no rider has won a MotoGP or 500cc class Grand Prix as a teenager.

Pedro Acosta came within only 1.728s of becoming the first rider to win a Grand Prix in the MotoGP era as a teenager at the 2024 Americas GP, when he finished second for KTM. The Spaniard lost to compatriot Maverick Vinales of Aprilia in his third race in the premier class.

Marc Marquez is the youngest rider to win a premier class Grand Prix in history

Marquez’s maiden MotoGP race win in the 2013 Americas GP also took the record for being the youngest rider to win a Grand Prix in premier class history away from Freddie Spencer, a whopping 31 years after the American had set the record after winning the 1982 Belgian GP.

Spencer became the youngest rider to win a Grand Prix in the 500cc class when he took the top step of the podium for Honda in the 1982 Belgian GP at Spa, amid his first full season in the premier class. He denied Barry Sheene by 3.800s to win the Grand Prix in the Ardennes.

No rider would ultimately win a Grand Prix at a younger age than Spencer was when he won the 1982 Belgian GP before the 500cc class rebranded as MotoGP in 2002. Marquez set a new all-time record in 2013 when he beat Spencer’s feat from 31 years earlier by 133 days.

Marco Bezzecchi is the youngest rider to win a MotoGP Sprint Race

Just a handful of young riders have taken Sprint Race wins since MotoGP added the format to the calendar in 2023. In fact, while there have been an array of Grand Prix winners aged 21 years or younger, Marco Bezzecchi is the youngest rider to win a Sprint Race so far at 24.

READ MORE: The youngest MotoGP riders to score a podium, including Marc Marquez

Bezzecchi won the eighth Sprint Race staged at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix while he rode for VR46. The Italian took the record off Jorge Martin, who won the fifth Sprint Race in MotoGP history at the 2023 French Grand Prix to get the initial record away from Francesco Bagnaia.

Bagnaia won the first Sprint Race in MotoGP history at the 2023 Portuguese Grand Prix aged 26, but the record quickly tumbled through Martin aged 25 and Bezzecchi aged 24. The wait for the first rider to win a MotoGP Sprint Race aged 23 years old or younger continues today.