MotoGP legend Marc Márquez reflects on watching the next generation of riders, including former champions Diogo Moreira and José Antonio Rueda, rise through the ranks.
Márquez, 33, expressed a mix of pride and wistfulness as he observes riders he once inspired now competing at the highest level. “I would say I feel proud, but at the same time it as well makes me a little sad, as you realize how the years pass,” Márquez told Estrella Galicia 0,0. “But I can’t complain, they have been excellent years lived.”
The Spaniard acknowledged the inevitable shift in the sport, stating, “It’s nice to spot that many of the riders who are now arriving in MotoGP say that I was their reference. Five or seven years ago they said I was their inspiration, but now modern generations are emerging. I am fully aware that sooner or later – probably sooner – one of these young riders will come and advise me: ‘Now it’s our turn.’ That’s the law of life, the law of sport.”
Moreira claimed the Moto2 World Championship in 2025, earning a promotion to the premier class. Rueda secured the Moto3 title and is moving up to the Moto2 World Championship.
When asked what advice he would offer these two rookies, Márquez emphasized the importance of patience. “They are two rookies who are already world champions. What advice would I give them? Something I didn’t have in my sporting career: patience,” the nine-time world champion responded.
“When you move up a category, you come with the momentum of being a world champion and, sometimes, you enter the box and things aren’t going well, and suddenly you’re in 20th place. There are races where everything goes better and others where it goes worse. Then there are two good races and one disappointing one. You gradually gain momentum, as happened, for example, with David Alonso last year. He had a difficult start and finished the season very well. So, they have to continue to work and strive, because they don’t lack talent – that’s why they are champions.”
Márquez also drew a parallel to his own brother’s experience. “Glance at my brother Álex Márquez, who moved up to MotoGP and had difficulties, as he had when he moved from Moto3 to Moto2. But, he became a champion. Each rider and each person needs their own time.”
