Marco Bezzecchi
Giacomo Agostini says Marc Marquez shouldn’t be called the greatest of all time because he can’t race against his competitors from different eras.
Marquez can equal Agostini by winning an eighth premier-class title this season, though he almost certainly won’t catch the Italian’s overall record of 15 Grand Prix championships.
In the modern era, Marquez has been compared most frequently with Valentino Rossi, who won seven at the highest level. But in an interview with MARCA, Agostini explained why success in 2026 wouldn’t be enough to set Marquez apart.
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Giacomo Agostini reluctant to compare Marc Marquez to riders from ‘different eras’
Jim Redman, a world champion in the 1960s, said recently that Marquez is the greatest of all time because he redefined what it meant to ride on the limit, and ‘made the impossible routine’.
When those comments were put to Agostini, he pushed back. Many of the other riders in the conversation raced in entirely different eras.
In Agostini’s day, the top-level bikes had 500cc engines, but Marquez has spent his entire MotoGP career on 1000cc machines. That’s just one of the many differences that complicate the discussion.
- READ MORE: Giacomo Agostini snubs ‘annoying’ Marc Marquez as he picks ‘five best riders’ on dream MotoGP grid
Agostini said: “I disagree. I agree that Marc, as of today, at this moment, is the best. But in the past, I’ve come across many riders, all world champions, from Kenny Roberts to [Jarno] Saarinen, Jim Redman, Phil Read, or Mike Hailwood.
“They were all very fast; they’re different eras. Hailwood was fast in his time; Agostini in his; Valentino Rossi in his; and Marc in his. It’s very difficult. It would be a dream to put them all in a race and have them fight it out. Unfortunately, it’s just a dream.”
Giacomo Agostini’s Marc Marquez prediction has been proven wrong
In an interview last year, Agostini said Fabio Quartararo and Yamaha could dethrone Marquez in 2027 when the new regulations come into effect.
But Quartararo has lost faith in Yamaha and decided to join Honda instead. He will be the first bona fide superstar to ride their bike since Marquez left in 2023.
Marquez told Agostini he would retire if he started finishing fifth and sixth regularly, and while he has been off the pace in the early rounds of 2026, he’s still expected to race for at least one more season.
Marquez may sign a one-plus-one contract rather than a two-year deal, giving him the option to leave Ducati if their 850cc bike is a disappointment.
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