Why Marc Marquez is now the undisputed GOAT of MotoGP

Comparing riders across eras will always spark debate, but after everything that has unfolded over the past five years, it’s only fair to brand Marc Marquez as the proverbial GOAT of MotoGP.

His story has been one of resilience, determination and relentless courage. Marquez had to undergo four operations in the aftermath of his terrifying highside at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix. To add to his misery, he also suffered from double vision on two occasions and broke his hand in a crash at the 2023 Portuguese GP. Even when he won three races in 2021 on an increasingly uncompetitive Honda, he did so with a humerus twisted 34 degrees out of alignment.

It’s a testament to Marquez’s mental strength that he was able to bounce back from such lows to reclaim his throne in MotoGP. It wasn’t an easy journey, and only Marquez knows what he went through as injuries continued to plague him well into 2023. What we do know is that he battled self-doubt and seriously considered hanging up his helmet even before he had turned 30. Given what he has since managed to achieve on the Ducati, it would have been a travesty if his career had prematurely ended because of the Jerez crash.

Marquez made a bold decision to leave a lucrative contract at Honda - and the unwavering support of the Japanese marque - to put himself to the test at Gresini in 2024. It was a huge gamble, but one he needed to take to prove to others - and more importantly himself - that he could deliver the results on a competitive bike.

Alarm bells were already ringing when Marquez hit the ground running in his first outing on the Desmosedici in the Valencia test. Then, as the season began, he shrugged off the pace deficit to the newer-specification GP24, scoring three wins and finishing third in the championship. 

Even before that first win, he had convinced Ducati to sign him up for a factory seat at the cost of eventual 2024 champion Jorge Martin and long-standing satellite team, Pramac. Much like Marquez had taken a risk the year prior, Ducati did the same.

After career-threatening injuries and then an uncompetitive package at Honda, Marquez gambled with a move to Gresini in 2024

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Neither side, however, could have anticipated the scale of success that followed. With 11 grand prix wins, 14 sprint victories, and eight poles, Marquez’s 2025 campaign has been one of the most dominant in premier class history. There have been fewer than a handful of races where Marquez came under real pressure, and more often than not, he came out on top.

But beyond pure results, it’s important to highlight how mature and consistent Marquez has been on track this year. This version of Marquez rarely crashes, not even while finding the limit in practice sessions, and is willing to play the long game instead of taking unnecessary risks for short-term glory. That is why many now consider him an even more lethal threat than he was during his explosive Honda years in the 2010s.

To be fair, Marquez was already in the GOAT conversation before the injury that changed his life. After a stellar career through the junior ranks, he took the MotoGP world by storm in 2013, becoming the youngest champion in his rookie season and adding a second crown to his tally the following year.

Rossi failed to add another title to his tally after 2009, aged 30, even though he remained competitive for almost another decade. Marquez, by contrast, ended a six-year drought on Sunday, the longest any rider had to wait between two championships

By the end of 2019, he was a six-time MotoGP champion, having lost the title just once in his time in the top echelon of motorcycle racing. More crucially, he had outperformed the best riders of his generation, including Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. Sure, the Honda of those years was a much more potent machine most years, but there were several situations where Yamaha - and even Ducati - had the edge, yet Marquez was the one winning races and championships on the RC213V. The 2019 season was arguably his best with Honda, and it was on a bike that clearly lagged behind the competition.

At the time, critics argued that Marquez could not surpass Rossi without winning on another bike. Of course, a split from Honda seemed unthinkable then. However, Marquez did end up leaving Honda in 2023 due to circumstances and has now won championships with two different manufacturers, dismantling the last real objection to his GOAT status.

In fact, you will struggle to find a compelling argument that prevents Marquez from being classified as the greatest rider of all time. And the conclusion becomes even clearer when you pit him directly against the legends.

Marquez romped to the 2025 title with Ducati - putting him level with Rossi in terms of MotoGP world championships

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Make no mistake, what Rossi achieved in his career was extraordinary, and Marquez would never be able to match the popularity of the Italian. Rossi’s Honda years were superb, and the way he jumped to a struggling Yamaha squad and won immediately cemented his greatness. But it wasn’t until Casey Stoner arrived that Rossi found a rival that was truly at his level. In Marquez’s case, however, he had A-rated rivals from his very year in the premier class.

It’s also worth noting that Rossi failed to add another title to his tally after 2009, aged 30, even though he remained competitive for almost another decade. Marquez, by contrast, ended a six-year drought on Sunday, the longest any rider had to wait between two championships.

Mick Doohan and Giacomo Agostini were the best riders of their generations too, but like Rossi, they didn’t face the kind of competition Marquez did. Of course, Doohan’s comeback from injury was inspirational, and he became the face of the legendary Repsol Honda team. Agostini, meanwhile, competed in an entirely different era of motorcycle racing, and was also quite capable on four wheels.

Their stories were remarkable, but not quite in the same way as Marquez’s comeback tale. Not only did he beat the very best in the business at Honda, he bounced back from rock bottom to become a champion in Ducati red. 

So, while the likes of Rossi, Doohan, and Agostini will always be recognised for their feats, Marquez now stands a step above them. The Spaniard isn’t just the greatest rider to grace the premier class grid, he’s the benchmark by which every future champion will be judged.

And crucially, his career is far from over. If he maintains this level of form in the coming years, he will almost certainly eclipse Agostini’s premier class title tally and edge past Rossi’s record of 89 wins. 

Marquez is now the benchmark for the rest to beat

Photo by: Ducati Corse

In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a meaningful statistic where Marquez doesn’t already sit at, or near, the very top. And when you throw his incredible journey into the equation, he simply rises above all. 

That is why, no matter how the rest of his career unfolds, Marquez has already secured his place as the undisputed GOAT of MotoGP.

Premier class statistics

*as of 2025 Japanese GP

Will Marquez take all the outright records in the years to come?

Photo by: Dorna