Who is the Best MotoGP™ Rider of All Time? Stats, Records & Legends Compared

The roar of the engines. The thrill of the race. The ultimate question: Who is the greatest MotoGP™ rider of all time?

It’s a debate that has fueled rivalries, divided fans, and shaped the history of motorcycle racing. Let’s dive into the stats, rivalries, and achievements of MotoGP™’s biggest legends.

The big names that immediately pop up whenever the topic is raised always include the likes of Giacomo Agostini, Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez, who between them have won a remarkable total of 37 World Championships across all classes.

Yet it is not simply total numbers of titles that will help decide the debate – if that is even possible given the passion it generates among fans! Such is the subjective nature of the conversation - everyone has their favourite pick of greatest MotoGP™ riders ever – so it’s a lively discussion that may never end. 

A theoretical ranking of MotoGP™ champions could also include numbers of race victories and podium finishes, career longevity and consistency, head-to-head records, rivals faced off and the impact on the sport and its international fan base.

For those wishing to learn more about some of the best ever riders to grace the racetrack, our MotoGP™ Legends section has detailed profiles on talents such as Agostini, Doohan, Rossi and Marquez.

Likewise, there is great detail on the careers of other top MotoGP™ legends such as Casey Stoner, Jorge Lorenzo, Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey, Freddie Spencer, Kenny Roberts, Barry Sheene, Geoff Duke, John Surtees and many, many more.

Criteria for determining who is the best MotoGP™ rider of all time?

With regard to pure success metrics on track we can compare each rider’s career statistics in terms of:

• MotoGP world titles
• MotoGP victories
• MotoGP podiums
• Total world titles in all classes
• Total victories in all classes
• Total podiums in all classes

In addition to considering the achievements of the most prolific title winners in the history of Grand Prix racing in terms of pure statistics, we might also consider factors such as the time period over which they enjoyed dominance and success.

As we delve in the profiles and career histories of the best ever MotoGP™ riders, we will examine details such as the eras in which they rode, the entertainment value of their battles with rivals and the personal traits which gained them so much popularity and success.

Top contenders for the crown

Giacomo Agostini: an unparalleled record of championship wins

Giacomo Agostini is widely considered to be the greatest rider in the history of motorcycle racing and his glittering career spanned 14 seasons, with his period of dominance commencing in the mid 1960s and running well into the 1970s.

He very rarely crashed and took a sensational total of 122 Grand Prix wins, winning 15 World Championship titles, eight in the 500cc premier class and seven in 350cc, often competing in both categories on the same day. 

In 1966 Agostini became a World Champion for the first time, clinching the 500cc title with MV Agusta at the last GP of the season, before he retained the crown in 1967. A remarkable period of success from 1968 to 1972 saw Agostini achieve double 350cc and 500cc World titles for MV Agusta over five consecutive seasons.

He then won the 350cc World Championship in 1973 with the Italian brand, before switching to Yamaha machinery in 1974 and becoming the 350cc title winner again, winning his final World title in 1975 in the 500cc class with the Japanese manufacturer.

Agostini’s key career statistics:

Mick Doohan – the definitive champion of the 1990s

Winning five successive World titles on 500cc machinery from 1994 to 1998, Australian star Mick Doohan remained faithful to Honda throughout his spectacular career in racing. The MotoGP™ Legend from Queensland’s Gold Coast might have won even more titles, had he not suffered some injuries before and after his period of utter dominance.

Doohan commenced his career in superbikes, winning three WorldSBK races in 1988 before making his Grand Prix debut in 1989 as teammate to his compatriot and now-fellow MotoGP™ Legend Wayne Gardner.

He earned the first of 54 premier class victories at Hungary in 1990 and within two years he was already fighting for the championship, dominating the 1992 season until a practice crash at Assen saw him nearly having to have his left leg amputated.

He was still not fully fit in 1993, but as his recovery gained momentum, from 1994 onwards Doohan was the king of the Grand Prix paddock until 1998. He recorded a stunning total of 12 victories from 15 races in 1997, whilst his duels with the likes of Alex Criville in 1996 and Max Biaggi in 1998 will forever remain in the memories of racing fans.

Another injury - a broken leg suffered in a 1999 crash at Jerez – led to Doohan eventually retiring after a sensational career of just over ten years in the World Championship.

Doohan’s key career statistics: 

Valentino Rossi: a sporting icon and a global champion of MotoGP™

 Over 26 seasons of Grand Prix participation, Valentino Rossi racked up an incredible 235 podiums in 432 races in all classes, winning nine world titles along the way, seven of which are in MotoGP.

Rossi is only rider ever to have won the 125cc, 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP™ World Championships by those names, and for a period he truly dominated MotoGP™, first with Honda and then with Yamaha, taking the title five times in a row - until Nicky Hayden interrupted his winning run in 2006.

Rossi reclaimed the MotoGP™ crown in 2008 and 2009 with Yamaha, before switching to ride for Ducati in 2011 and 2012. That was a tougher run and he returned to Yamaha in 2013, continuing to earn victories and podiums as he finished runner-up in the World Championship for three consecutive seasons from 2014, twice behind Marc Marquez and behind his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo in 2015.

In the final years of his career Rossi continued to entertain his huge global fanbase, his final podium result coming in 2020 after a quarter of a century of Grand Prix racing. Rossi’s charismatic personality, daring racing style and flamboyant celebrations throughout his career saw him become one of the biggest names in global sport, his brilliance only propelling the profile of MotoGP™ around the world. 

Rossi’s ranch in his hometown of Tavullia and his VR46 Racing Academy have been the breeding ground for the next generation of Italian GP talent and he continues to promote and develop the sport through his ownership of the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team. Rossi is a true MotoGP™ Legend and sporting icon.

Rossi’s key career statistics:

Marc Marquez: six-time MotoGP™ World Champion who won the title as a rookie

Marc Marquez made an immediate impact on the Grand Prix scene, featuring on the podium in the 125cc category in his rookie season in 2008, before winning the 125cc title in 2010. He graduated to Moto2™ for 2011 and the following season he won the intermediate class world title, earning him promotion to the big time in 2013.

That year Marquez became the youngest ever premier class World Champion and the first rider to win the championship at the top level as a rookie since Kenny Roberts in 1978. Marquez retained the MotoGP™ crown in 2014 – astonishingly winning the first 10 races in a row – and then finished third in 2015 as his compatriot Jorge Lorenzo again took the title.

Back on top in 2016, Marquez went on to dominate for the subsequent three seasons, winning four consecutive MotoGP™ World titles. His 2019 campaign was extraordinary, as the smiling Spaniard finished second or better in every Grand Prix race – other than a DNF at the Circuit of the Americas when he crashed from the lead – earning him a sixth premier class title.

An injury to his right humerus at the 2020 season opener in Jerez would eventually end his season early, bringing his title-winning run to a conclusion. For now. After three more seasons battling to regain fitness, including surgeries and time on the sidelines as he bet big on getting back to winning ways, 2024 saw Marquez switch to Ducati machinery and his return to the top step of the podium at Aragon after more than 1000 days without a MotoGP™ win was inspirational.

Marquez’ adventure in Grand Prix racing is far from over and his move to the factory Ducati team for 2025 sees him go in search of more world titles, potentially adding to his claim to being the best MotoGP™ rider of all time. Many already believe he is. Those who don’t would likely vote for Valentino Rossi. If you’re newer to the sport, go down that rabbit hole. We won’t do rivalries by half.

Marquez’s key career statistics:

*Statistics correct prior to the start of the 2025 MotoGP™ World Championship

This is not an official ranking though. There isn’t one. This highly talented quartet are the only four riders to have won at least five premier class titles or more.

For some fans, riders such as Geoff Duke, John Surtees, Mike Hailwood, Eddie Lawson – each with their four premier class titles – might also get the vote as the greatest MotoGP™ rider ever. For others they might select the first ever American king of the 500cc category - Kenny Roberts - a three-time premier class World Champion, as their top pick. Some watched Casey Stoner drift around the corner that now bears his name and they decided then and there that magic was real.

It’s all about opinion and subjective debate – and we’re here for it!

The greatest MotoGP™ riders ever: Head-to-head comparisons

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key career achievements which may define a virtual shortlist of MotoGP™’s best ever riders.

In terms of most wins in the premier class that chart sees Rossi way out ahead of the pack:

*Statistic correct prior to the start of the 2025 MotoGP™ World Championship

Rossi’s remarkable total of 89 premier class wins were achieved over a period spanning 18 years, whilst he also amassed a huge total of 199 podiums in his record 372 top level races. Agostini achieved his 68 victories in 130 race appearances, giving him an incredible win rate of over 52%, compared with Rossi’s 24% win ratio.

When it comes to premier class titles Agostini leads the way, with Rossi second:

Agostini won seven consecutive MotoGP World Championships from 1966 to 1972 with MV Agusta, adding his eighth and final title in 1975 with Yamaha. The MotoGP™ Legend from Brescia was so good that he won every MotoGP race that he finished over five seasons from 1968 to 1972!

Rossi’s seven premier class titles came over seasons from 2001-2009, whilst for Doohan it was five in a row in the 1990s. Marquez’ six MotoGP™ titles were won over seven seasons from 2013 to 2019 and after his return to race-winning form in 2024 he still has every chance of adding more titles to his already impressive tally. He has six MotoGP titles. Rossi has seven. You bet it’s a target.

Another telling statistic to review head-to-head amongst the star names is most podium results in the premier class:

*Statistic correct prior to the start of the 2025 MotoGP™ World Championship

Over his notably lengthy and successful career Rossi made it onto the premier class podium 199 times, doing so in 53.5% of his 372 races at the highest level of the sport. Behind Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, Marquez and Doohan feature in the top five.

Marquez is likely to move up the ranking in 2025, having already achieved 111 podiums in 58.7% of his 189 MotoGP™ races up to the end of the 2024 season. Agostini sits outside the top five with 88 podiums, though he was on the rostrum in 67.7% of his MotoGP™ races.

MotoGP™’s best ever riders: the impact beyond the track

The lasting impression these great names have made on MotoGP™ beyond the race track is fundamentally immeasurable, yet each can rightly claim to have more than played their part in raising the profile of the sport to such a prestigious level. 

So who do the fans regard as the GOAT (greatest of all time) in Grand Prix racing? Ask a 45 year-old Italian MotoGP™ fan who witnessed Rossi’s serial championship wins at the peak of The Doctor’s greatness and their answer might well differ from a teenage Spanish fan whose earliest memories involve celebrating Marquez’s six titles in seven years from 2013 to 2019.

Likewise, some fans will always point to Agostini’s record number of premier class and overall world titles, whilst those who fell in love with racing in the 90s may forever cherish Doohan as the greatest rider ever.

Recency bias, nationality, subjective preference for a specific riding styles and favourability for a personality type will always impact on fan polls and media debates on Who is the Best MotoGP™ Rider of All Time? 

Did you know John Surtees is the only person to have won the MotoGP crown and F1 World Championship? He took four MotoGP world titles in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960 with MV Agusta and then became the F1 World Champion in 1964 with Ferrari. Check out his MotoGP™ Legend profile to learn more about his fascinating career.