Aspar is ruthless in his comparison of Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi

Four-time world champion Jorge Martinez Aspar, in an interview on the Fast & Curious podcast, compared the two biggest stars of the last twenty years of MotoGP: Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez.

“They’re very different. I think Valentino, as a rider, was perhaps more well-rounded, but to me, Marc is infinitely faster. I have enormous admiration for the way he’s managed his career, for his aggressiveness, and for his constant pursuit of the limit.”

Aspar particularly emphasized Marc Marquez’s mental strength, especially after the injuries that sidelined him for so long: “Marc is a rider who deserves to be studied from a mental perspective. He has incredible strength. Valentino was also special in this regard, but what Marc has had to face and overcome in his career is something that inspires immense admiration.”

The Marc Marquez of today is totally different from the one of five or six years ago: “He either won or crashed—it was brutal. Today he thinks things through much more and tries to take fewer risks. That’s normal, because he’s gained experience, endured very serious injuries, and won many titles. All of this changes the way you see things.”

Aspar then shared an anecdote about Valentino Rossi: “In 1994, Graziano Rossi, Valentino’s father, came to visit me and have lunch with me. He told me, ‘Listen, I have a very talented son, very fast, and I’d really like him to race with you on my team.’ At that time, in late 1994, I was with Yamaha and Cepsa, working on a Spanish project. I told him, ‘I’m sure your son is very talented, but I’m working on a Spanish project, not an international one.’ The following year, in 1995, Valentino was already racing in the European Championship at Misano. In 1996, he scored his first victory and beat me at the Czech Republic Grand Prix in Brno.”