Jorge Lorenzo Surprised by Valentino Rossi: “It’s time to accept it”
In an interview with Cadena Ser, former MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo revisits the debate over who is the greatest rider in history: Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, or Giacomo Agostino. According to the former Majorcan rider, the number 93 superstar is now the best of them all.
“I’ve already said that if Marquez were to win his tenth title, the only debate would be with Agostini, who won fifteen world championships. For me, what counts is the premier class. If we compare Agostini’s eight premier class titles with Marquez’s eight, Marc has more wins. For me, he was already the best before this world championship: he’s superior—the Messi of motorcycling.”
According to Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi no longer measures up: “We have to accept that Marquez has surpassed him. But people need to understand that I have total affection and respect for Rossi. All riders owe the immense popularity of MotoGP to him. In terms of charisma and intelligence on the bike, he’s probably the best.”
On “The Doctor” and the memory of 2015: “I understand it’s not easy to get over something like that when you’re so eager to win your tenth title. But it’s surprising that people are still talking about it after 10 years. Everyone deals with their own bad years in their own way.”
The controversy with Rossi was reignited by “Il Dottore’s” interview on *Che Tempo che fa*, in which he said he felt “just like on that night in Valencia” and that he hadn’t changed his mind about Marquez, who “wasn’t fighting for the World Championship but to make me lose.” Criminologist Roberta Bruzzone also weighed in on the issue, recalling that in 2015 Lorenzo had won seven Grand Prix races compared to Rossi’s four, and concluding: “Rossi lost that World Championship. Lorenzo won it.” Marquez himself, in August, had ruled out a reconciliation with No. 46: “It’s impossible to find a solution. Some things don’t depend on just one person. It takes two people,” though he added that he respects what Rossi has achieved.
