Valentino Rossi’s old enemy: “Marc Marquez the strongest in history”

Marquez returns from injury in 2023 aiming for a seventh premier class championship, to draw level with Rossi’s tally.

Before Rossi and Marquez’s notoriously spiky relationship, the legendary Italian battled on and off track with Gibernau.

In Jerez 2005, Rossi pipped Gibernau despite contact on the final corner. They went wheel-to-wheel in 2003 at Sachsenring and Le Mans, then in 2004 at Assen, Mugello and Phillip Island. Gibernau upped the ante in Qatar by claiming Yamaha were illegally cleaning Rossi’s starting box, and caused his rival to start at the back of the grid. Rossi then fell and injured his wrist.

Gibernau told La Gazzetta dello Sport about the best-ever rider: “If I have to choose a name I still say Marquez. From my point of view he is a hero, the strongest rider in history. 

“I am curious to see how he will deal with the new enemy, that is, the psychological aspect, the ability to manage difficulties. 

“Marc is in an unprecedented moment for him. He had never been in such a position before. He will have to deal with thoughts that will make him act differently than usual. But I think Marc still has a few seasons at a high level ahead of him.

"If everything goes well, the novelty will be the presence of Marquez at the top from the beginning of the World Championship, although much will depend on Honda. 

“I imagine they are struggling with some problems and if they do not solve them it will be difficult to win even for someone like Marc. Both they and Yamaha will have to work hard to recover.” 

Nine-time race winner Gibernau reflected on his own best moments: "If I absolutely have to choose a race, then I say Jarama 1998. I had a Honda with a two-stroke twin-cylinder V2. 

“When I made my debut in the World Championship, my grandfather promised me that he would prepare a bottle of champagne to celebrate my first podium. 

“At the time I didn't believe him. I thought I would never make it. But on the Jarama circuit I finished third. 

“After the race I called him immediately to thank him. My grandfather was in old age. He told me that he would die happy for that result. After a month and a half he left us. For this reason, the Madrid GP remains a special race."

Gibernau spent his final two years at Ducati, after going back-and-forth between Yamaha and Honda plus a spell with Suzuki.

"I have Italy in my heart,” he said. “I often feel at home, I still have many friends. And then I started racing in the 250cc World Championship with Axo San Patrignano, an Italian team, ending my career with Ducati. So Italy has a very important value for me. 

“I am very happy for the friends of the racing department. Ducati will be the reference in MotoGP, thanks also to the presence of many bikes, as it is easier to develop a project. I was pleased to see a European bike win, especially Italian. 

“I am also happy for Ffrancesco Bagnaia, who is a fantastic person. Little to say about the Gresini team as well. It has been my family for so many years. I stayed in touch in the hard times after Fausto's passing. I was proud of them seeing the performance of 2022."