Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi have experienced one of the most intense rivalries in MotoGP, probably the most intense and iconic ever in the category, with many labelling one or the other as the best rider ever. However, Rúben Xaus believes that in the case of the younger Márquez, he has lived, learnt… and improved with the Italian.
The former rider is of the opinion that Marc Márquez, currently with the Ducati Lenovo Team, has learnt a lot from Il Dottore, and that he even shares many things with him today, as Xaus explained, quoted by Motosan, on the Dura La Vita podcast: ‘Marc has learnt from a great, who is Valentino Rossi, and is emulating Valentino Rossi in many situations’.
However, the Spaniard believes that Márquez is an improved version of the Italian who marked an era in MotoGP: ‘And he’s even an improved Valentino Rossi, I’d say, in some respects because there are things in which he no longer falls into the trap’.
Having someone by his side is also proving beneficial: ‘I think it’s allowing him to control his times, but also because he has a brother by his side. It also means you have the handbrake on at times’.
Rossi, for his part, shared the track with Luca Marini, his brother, for just one year – 2021 – the very year he left the category.