Aleix Espargaro will end his MotoGP career as a regular rider after the 2024 season. The 34-year-old is currently the longest-serving rider in the field and has been active in the premier class since 2009 (with a break in 2011 when he drove in the Moto2 World Championship). After his departure, Marc Marquez will be the most experienced rider in the MotoGP category. However, he believes that careers as long as those of his compatriot Espargaro are no longer appropriate.
After Espargaro’s departure: Marc Marquez is the longest-serving MotoGP rider
Espargaro will have completed 15 MotoGP seasons when he retires at the end of the year. Only motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi is ahead of him in this respect: the Italian was active in the premier class for 22 years. Marquez has already extended his MotoGP commitment until the end of the 2026 season. This year’s Gresini rider will be completing his 13th and 14th MotoGP years in the Ducati factory team alongside Francesco Bagnaia.
Such long careers will probably be extremely rare in the future. The minimum age for entry into the motorcycle world championship is now 18 years. A MotoGP promotion as a teenager like This means that Pedro Acosta is almost impossible. But it is not impossible. The rules offer loopholes for particularly successful pilots in the junior categories, who can advance to the world championship stage before they reach the age of majority.
Marc Marquez: Motorcycle determines whether you can make the difference
But reaching the highest category of motorcycle racing is not enough. The high level of the premier class makes it extremely complicated to defend your place in the paddock against the up-and-coming young generation, something Marc Marquez knows well. “It’s really difficult these days, especially for the teams,” said the eight-time world champion. “In recent years the riders have made the difference, but it depends on the bike whether you can make that difference at all.”
The tough competition is particularly noticeable in modern MotoGP, says Marquez. “It’s complicated. If you look at the lap times, most of them clearly deserve a MotoGP bike. But there are always new, young riders coming through from Moto2. That makes it brutally difficult to have a long career here.”
“Reaching MotoGP is one thing. But maintaining that level is not easy. But that’s life. Every career comes to an end at some point. This time it happened to Aleix,” Marquez grinned. “The good thing is that he chose it himself. Others cannot decide for themselves when their career ends. That is certainly important for him.”