ACOSTA SAYS ROSSI DREW BIGGER CROWDS WHILE MARQUEZ MADE HIS MARK ON TRACK

Pedro Acosta has placed Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi on the same level as MotoGP greats, while drawing a distinction between their impact on the sport. In comments to AS, the Spaniard said: “He’s on a par with Rossi. They’re the two best in history. I put them on the same level.”

Asked whether that made the comparison a draw, Acosta pointed to Rossi’s influence beyond racing. “Marc has achieved a great deal on the track and Valentino has achieved a great deal in the media,” he said. “Valentino was a crowd-puller wherever he went. He also raced in a rather different era.”

Acosta credited Marquez with taking on many of the championship’s leading riders and beating them. “He’s gone up against all the greats – Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Valentino – and beaten them,” he said, adding that Marquez had achieved more on track than off it. Casey Stoner was the notable exception, as he did not race against Marquez.

The comparison comes as Acosta prepares to join Marquez at the factory Ducati team in 2027. Rossi had reportedly tried to bring Acosta to VR46 for 2026, when the young rider was seeking a way out of KTM, but the move did not happen. Acosta’s eventual Ducati switch will put him alongside Marquez, whom he respects but is determined to beat on equal machinery.

Their partnership has prompted comparisons with Jorge Lorenzo’s arrival at Yamaha in 2008. Lorenzo and Rossi were teammates across two spells, from 2008 to 2010 and again from 2013 to 2016, and had several on-track clashes. Whether Acosta and Marquez will develop a similar rivalry remains to be seen.

Rossi and Marquez’s own relationship has remained strained since their fierce title battles, particularly after their infamous 2015 Sepang clash. Their fanbases have also continued to argue. The reception for Marquez at Misano, Rossi’s home race, was less hostile in 2026 than it had been the previous year, when fans jeered after he crashed out.