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Marc Marquez would have won the 2017 MotoGP title even if he was riding for Ducati, according to Max Biaggi.
Honda rider Marquez saw off a stern challenge from Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso this season to claim a fourth premier class title in only his fifth season at the top level of grand prix motorcycle racing.
Biaggi believes that Marquez would have been able to win the title even had been riding for the Italian manufacturer, as MotoGP’s top marques are now so close to each other.
“Nowadays the top three or four riders are split by very few tenths, so I think the bikes are pretty even,” Biaggi recently told Motosprint.
“Therefore, I think that if you took the world champion and put him on another bike, he would still win. So, Marquez would surely win also with a Ducati.
“How can you not be impressed by what Marquez does on the bike?
“The way he manages it when he makes it skid, it leaves you speechless, or when he nearly crashes but saves it.
“It’s not just luck; it’s his ability to manage the bike. He does things only he can do.”
At 24, the Spaniard became the youngest rider to achieve win four top-class titles, beating Valentino Rossi – who took his fourth 500cc/MotoGP crown at age 25 – by a year.
Biaggi, who didn’t even make his premier class debut until the age of 26, believes there is still more to come from Marquez as he gains extra experience and maturity.
“Marquez is world champion because he is the strongest rider,” he added.
“You just have to see everything that he’s won at only 24 years of age.
“And the most interesting thing is, in my opinion, he’s not reached his maximum level, so his best is still yet to come.”