“Five years ago MotoGP was the reference; Rossi won’t come back, get used to it”

Four different riders on four different bikes have won the MotoGP championship in the past four years - Marquez (2019, Honda), Joan Mir (2020, Suzuki), Fabio Quartararo (2021, Yamaha) and Francesco Bagnaia (2022, Ducati).

But seven-time premier class champion Rossi remains the most famous rider in MotoGP history and, ahead of the second season without the legend on the grid, his old boss at Yamaha has been considering the sport’s popularity.

"There is no doubt that Valentino Rossi had this unique attraction, history and charisma,” Jarvis told Speedweek. 

“He is a household name all over the world and the absence of Valentino definitely had some negative impact on the championship. Another factor was the absence of Marc Marquez, who had physical problems at the same time as Valentino's departure. 

“If we think back, the MotoGP world in the years before that was a lot about Marc Marquez vs Valentino Rossi. And Marc is also a phenomenon. He's an eight-time world champion who hasn't been in the game for two years.

“Thirdly, I think Formula 1 has done a very, very good job over the last couple of years and has generated a lot of interest from new viewers – partly because of the Netflix series and the way they have changed with social media. Formula 1 has become 'hip'.

"Five years ago, the opposite was true. Formula 1 was in trouble, we were the reference in many ways. We need to become more active again. 

“Valentino won't be coming back, we have to get used to that. We need a fit Marc and we need Honda back in the game. Honda is also an important reference and at the moment they are not really there. They are definitely not where they should be."

But after two years of injury hell, Repsol Honda rider Marquez is set to return this year to vie against the younger generation for a championship which would equal the benchmark set by his enemy Rossi (seven titles).