Jorge Martin says Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi are “the best in history” in MotoGP but feels doubl♉e world champion Francesco Bagnaia “is entering that group”.

Martin and Bagnaia have🅷 been title rivals for the last two years, with the former coming out on top in their season-long duel in 2024.

The incoming Aprilia rider may have only won three grands prix ♔to factory Ducati counterpart Bagnaia’s 11, but consistency allowed Martin to win his first MotoGP crown by 10 points at the final round of the caꦍmpaign.

Becoming the first independent team rider to win the title in the modern🍷 era, Martin has said since that he beat “the best version” of Bagnaia to do so.

In an interview with Spanish publication AS, he once again lavished praise on his chief rivaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚl, while also pondering wh🌜ere he fits into the conversation about MotoGP’s best.

“I think Marquez is the best in☂ history along with Valentino,” Martin said, “and Pecco is entering that group.

“With the results he is g💞etting, for me he has already bea𝓰ten [Casey] Stoner, for example.

“And I beat Pecco, so where does that put me? I don’t mean t💧o brag. I have my feet on the ground, I know I still have a long way to go.

“But it’s clear that I consider myself at his level in sporting teꦬrms.”

While there will alwaysཧ꧃ be arguments as to what the best era of MotoGP is, Martin believes “the value of this title is very high” still.

“Obviously, I would h🌠ave liked to fight for the title against the best riders: against Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez - who is still on track - or against Stoner and many of the riders I watched from𝓰 home when I was a kid.

“But in the end it goes by moments. Now there is Pecco and Marquez and it was them I had to bea🉐t.

“I think in the era we are in right now, the level is very hiౠgh and the value of this title is very high.”