Asked to name the ideal coach to guide his career if he were a child again, Max Verstappen didn't choose Marc Márquez for MotoGP. The Dutchman preferred Valentino Rossi. A verdict without a stopwatch or race commission, but revealing enough: titles may pile up, but number 46 continues to occupy a place that statistics alone cannot explain.
Rossi or Verstappen's choice
Max Verstappen has never been known for wrapping his answers in three layers of diplomacy. When asked which champions he would choose as coaches if he were to start his childhood career over again, the Red Bull driver assembled a particularly modest team: his father Jos for the Formula 1, Arie luyendyk for IndyCar, Dale Earnhardt for NASCAR… and Valentino Rossi for the MotoGP.
"I would probably take Valentino Rossi as my coach" " replied the Dutchman in the clip broadcast by Red Bull Racing. Marc Márquez is mentioned as another possibility, but the final choice clearly falls to number 46.
Even when he no longer races in Grand Prix, Rossi So he still finds a way to beat Marquez Without a suit, without Yamaha And without needing to call in Race Control. Remarkable efficiency.
To learn MotoGP, Verstappen calls the "Doctor"
Obviously, a lighthearted response should not be transformed into an official ranking of the greatest drivers in history. Verstappen did not necessarily designate the fastest rider on a current motorcycle, but the one to whom he would entrust his training.
And this nuance is precisely what makes his choice more interesting.
To teach pure speed, Marc Márquez would have been a difficult candidate to dismiss. His aggressive riding style, his talent for controlling a machine at the limit, and his almost pathological refusal to give up correspond quite well to the temperament of VerstappenThe official website of MotoGP He himself brought the two champions closer together because of their ambition and attacking styles.
But to learn how to become more than just a driver, the Dutchman chose Rossi.
The "Doctor" didn't just build a record of achievements. He learned to win with several generations of motorcycles, to switch manufacturers, to read his opponents, to lead a team behind him, and to transform every race Sunday into a popular spectacle. In the spirit of Verstappen, the best teacher is therefore not necessarily the one who slows down the latest today, but the one who could explain how to survive twenty years at the top without becoming a mere name on a timeline.
Márquez brings the heavy-handed approach. Rossi clearly offers the complete curriculum.
Márquez is not disavowed, only overtaken by the myth
The choice of Rossi However, this does not reflect any distrust of Verstappen towards Marc Marquez. The pilot of Formula 1 has already stated that he was closely following the MotoGP and that he tried to watch every race. During an interview conducted alongside MárquezHe even believed that the Spaniard remained the best driver on the grid when his machine allowed him to fully express his potential.
In other words, Verstappen can consider Márquez as the current sporting benchmark while choosing Rossi as a mentor.
The contradiction only exists for those who think that an ideal coach must necessarily be the last available champion. Rafael Nadal would not necessarily have chosen the world number one at the time to teach him tennis at the age of five. Verstappen applies the same logic: to get into the MotoGP school, he asks for the teacher who helped build the establishment.
The slight preference remains nonetheless appealing given the history between Rossi et MárquezMore than ten years after their sporting and political rivalry, number 93 continues to grapple with the legacy of number 46, even in a question posed to a pilot. Formula 1.
The Sepang duel is over. The debate, evidently, still refuses to relinquish its paddock access badge.
Rossi retains a position that numbers alone cannot secure.
Valentino Rossi He remains the only rider to have won the world championships in 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, and MotoGP. He also won five consecutive titles in the premier class before returning to the top in 2008 and 2009. Marc Márquez has his own collection of records and has amply demonstrated that he can dominate an era. But Rossi represents something else: the driver who has transcended the boundaries of the championship to become a benchmark in the whole of motorsport.
This is probably what the response of VerstappenHe doesn't just choose a driving technique. He chooses a way of approaching competition, of building a universe around himself and of preserving the pleasure of racing after the trophies have started to gather dust.
The proof : Rossi He left MotoGP at the end of 2021, but he hasn't left racing. The "retired" rider is pursuing a particularly serious car racing career with BMW and Team WRT, while remaining involved in the motorcycle championship through his VR46 team. At 47, the professor still seems busy writing his own exercises.
The future student could soon become his opponent
The story becomes even more interesting when we observe the current trajectories of Rossi et Verstappen.
The Italian competes in endurance races driving the BMW M4 GT3 EVO. At the 2026 Spa 24 Hours, he finished sixth with Dan Harper et Max Hesse after having momentarily held the lead in the race, Rossi felt that his team had delivered a race "close to perfection", while regretting the lack of pace needed to aim for the podium.
Verstappen It is also developing its own GT3 activities. It has a team involved in competition, has already raced on the Nordschleife and is preparing for new appearances in endurance racing. Rossi He actually finds it amusing.
"I opened the door a little, I slightly paved the way.", he joked in April about Verstappen's gradual arrival in the world of GT.
The old pilot Yamaha He added that he hoped to share the track with him soon. The scenario is therefore delightful: Verstappen choose Rossi as an ideal coach in MotoGP, While Rossi He's mainly waiting to be able to compete against him in a car.
The teacher doesn't seem particularly interested in correcting the homework. He prefers to directly assess the student's braking skills.
Verstappen still dreams of MotoGP, but Red Bull retains the keys
The Dutchman makes no secret of his fascination with two-wheelers. He explained that he could have pursued a career in MotoGP if he had possessed the necessary talent and had repeatedly expressed the desire to try a real Grand Prix machine.
Red Bull However, they have already rejected this possibility, deeming the exercise too dangerous. The team readily agrees that their driver can talk about MotoGPHe meets his champions and produces videos with them. Letting him ride a motorcycle with over 300 horsepower is clearly the line between an excellent social media post and a mass heart attack in the Milton Keynes offices.
We can therefore understand the usefulness of Rossi as a coach. His first mission would probably not be to show Vget up how to gain three tenths in a corner, but to explain to him how to convince his employer to let him leave the pits.
And on this subject, even the "Doctor" may need a very convincing prescription.
Rossi may no longer win in MotoGP, but he continues to win referendums.
The answer of Verstappen takes nothing away from Marc MárquezShe simply reminds us that sporting greatness is not measured solely by the number of victories, titles or records still within reach.
Márquez maybe the pilot that Verstappen noted for its speed and aggressiveness. Rossi remains the one to whom he would entrust his apprenticeship.
That's the whole difference between a champion and a cultural icon. The former dominates a period. The latter continues to be chosen long after leaving the grid.
Valentino Rossi is no longer a contender for the world title, no longer rides a MotoGP bike, and no longer needs to beat Márquez on Sunday. Now he just has to wait for a four-time champion of Formula 1 should be asked about their ideal teacher.
Even in retirement, number 46 still finds races to win.
Max Verstappen and Marc Marquez teaming up for a race and ended winning it.
Most GOATed duo in motorsports.. pic.twitter.com/w0OcCyZEOm
— Zain (@am27852) July 11, 2026