2021 MotoGP World Champion Fabio Qaurtararo has picked out Marc Marquez as the greatest rider in the series’ history, despite idolizing Valentino since childhood.
Quartararo’s rise to MotoGP prominence with Yamaha coincided with Rossi’s final years in the sport.
After two impressive seasons with the satellite Petronas Yamaha squad in 2019 and ’20, Quartararo swapped teams with Rossi to ride for the factory squad in 2021, winning his maiden title in the process.
Rossi meanwhile, bowed out of MotoGP at the end of 2021 and in an interview with jewellery brand TwoJeys, Quartararo discussed how the influence of the nine-time champion impacted him growing up in and around the paddock.
“My idol was always Valentino,” he said. “My relationship with him was in stages. When I was seven years old, I had my photo taken. Later, when I was 15, he invited me to his ranch. And in 2021 we swapped places.
“At that time the pressure was enormous because I had to take the place of the king. In my case, I have more people who inspire me, but since I was five years old, my idol has been him.”
Despite holding Rossi in such regard, Quartararo went on to say that he rates eight-time champion Marquez higher than the Italian in his best-of-all-time list, attributing the Spaniard’s tenacity and aggressive riding style.
“I always liked Valentino, but Marc is the best ever, even if he has won fewer titles,” the Frenchman said. “In 2014 [when he entered his second year in MotoGP] he won the first ten races of the year and I thought, ‘who is this guy?’
“And on top of it all is that you put him in wet races, dry races, windy races, in good conditions or the worst, and he is always very fast.
“For me, he is the example that best describes what he is like as a rider. He is very aggressive, and when you see him riding it looks like he is a second and a half faster than you.”
Marquez will be on the factory Ducati for 2025 alongside double reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia, while Quartararo opted to remain loyal to Yamaha until 2026 despite being offered appealing options elsewhere.
Despite retiring in 2021, Rossi’s influence in MotoGP is still ever-present, with him leading his own VR46 team supplied by Ducati while balancing commitments to car racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and GT World Challenge Europe.
