Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Lorenzo claims it is easy to call Valentino Rossi or Giacomo Agostini the greatest MotoGP rider of all time, yet neither eclipses Marc Marquez in terms of “riding level”.
Rossi, Agostini and Marquez are regularly heralded as the three greatest riders in the history of the premier class, across the 500cc era and since the MotoGP rebrand in 2002. Rossi won titles in both eras, while Agostini dominated the 500cc era and Marquez in the MotoGP era.
Agostini stands alone as the most successful rider in premier class history to date with eight 500cc titles. Marquez can move level with the great Italian after he drew level with Rossi on seven titles in 2025, although Agostini is some way ahead for all world championship titles.
Marquez’s 2025 title marked his first MotoGP title triumph since fearing his career could be over after breaking his right arm during the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix. Kevin Schwantz thinks Marquez is the greatest of all time given how he dominated in 2025 after the injury, as well.
Give us your MotoGP Mount Rushmore
Jorge Lorenzo believes Marc Marquez’s ‘riding level’ makes him MotoGP’s GOAT
Agostini won seven 350cc titles as well as his eight 500cc titles, including doing the double every year from 1968 to 1972. Marquez has nine world championships in total, after sealing one 125cc title and one Moto2 crown. Rossi won one 125cc title and one 250cc title, as well.
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Lorenzo believes you can argue that Agostini is the greatest rider of all time owing to his 15 world titles in total. Alternatively, you can argue that Rossi is the greatest, given his all-time record 89 Grand Prix wins and 199 podiums. But Lorenzo feels Marquez is the greater rider.
Lorenzo told AS: “If you like one more, you’ll always find theories to prove that yours is the best. You can say that Rossi is the best in history. You can say that Agostini, statistically, is the best in history. But in terms of riding level, Marquez has been the best, for me.”
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In truth, it is impossible to accurately compare what riders from different eras like Agostini and Marquez achieved at the peak of their careers. It is even difficult to have a clear, direct comparison between Marquez and Rossi, despite them sharing a grid for nine campaigns.
The easiest comparisons are made on paper by comparing their results, which would have Agostini on top for riders’ titles and Rossi on top in terms of results. But even then, Ducati boss Luigi Dall’Igna feels it will only be “fair” to pick MotoGP’s GOAT after Marquez retires.
Marquez may easily eclipse Agostini and Rossi’s records if he opts to race for as long as the latter did. The 2026 MotoGP season marks Marquez’s 14th year on the grid, over which he has enjoyed 73 Grand Prix wins, whereas Rossi won 89 races across his 22 years in the field.
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