No country has dominated motorcycling’s premier class like Spain over the last fifteen years. Since Àlex Crivillé won the first Spanish title in 1999, Spanish riders have claimed thirteen premier-class world championships, twelve of them between 2010 and 2025. In 2025 Marc Márquez won his seventh MotoGP title, matching Valentino Rossi’s nine world championships, and in 2026 the title fight is once again an all-Spanish affair. Here are the ten greatest Spanish riders of all time in the premier class, with updated figures, and why Spain produces so many champions.

Updated September 2026.

In short: the most successful Spanish rider of all time is Marc Márquez, with seven premier-class titles and 78 MotoGP wins as of September 2026. He is followed by Jorge Lorenzo, a three-time MotoGP champion, and Dani Pedrosa, with 31 wins but never the title. The other Spanish premier-class champions are Àlex Crivillé in 1999, Joan Mir in 2020 and Jorge Martín in 2024. After fifteen races of 2026 the standings are led by Martín ahead of Marc Márquez.

Why Spain produces so many champions

The answer lies in a system built over thirty years. Dorna, the Spanish company that has managed the championship’s commercial rights since the 1990s, invested in young rider development and feeder championships, starting with what is now called the FIM JuniorGP, successor to the Spanish CEV championship. Major Spanish sponsors such as Repsol, which stayed with Honda for thirty years until 2024, and Telefónica with its Movistar brand backed teams and talent. The calendar did the rest: in 2026 Spain hosts four Grands Prix, at Jerez, Catalunya, Aragón and Valencia, more than any other country. Since 2025 Dorna has been controlled by Liberty Media, which already owns Formula 1.

The 10 greatest Spanish riders in the premier class

10. Álex Márquez

Moto3 world champion in 2014 and Moto2 champion in 2019, for years he was “Marc’s brother”. In 2025, riding a Gresini Ducati, he finished the championship second behind his brother: it was the first time two brothers had taken the top two places in the premier class. He has won four MotoGP Grands Prix, including Jerez in 2025 and 2026, and in 2027 he will move to the factory KTM team.

9. Pedro Acosta

The most precocious talent of his generation: Moto3 world champion in 2021 and Moto2 champion in 2023, fourth in MotoGP in 2025 with KTM. In 2026 he won his first premier-class race, in Austria, and was chosen by the factory Ducati team for 2027 and 2028, alongside Marc Márquez.

8. Sete Gibernau

The rider who repeatedly challenged Valentino Rossi for the title in the early years of MotoGP. On the Gresini Honda sponsored by Telefónica Movistar, he was runner-up in 2003 and 2004. In the premier class he won nine Grands Prix, one in 500cc at Valencia in 2001 and eight in MotoGP.

7. Maverick Viñales

Moto3 world champion in 2013 and then a leading figure in MotoGP with Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia and, since 2025, KTM Tech3. He has won ten premier-class Grands Prix and was the first rider of the MotoGP era to win with three different manufacturers, taking the 2024 Austin race with Aprilia.

6. Joan Mir

Moto3 world champion in 2017 and MotoGP champion in 2020 with Suzuki, at the end of a season in which he won only one race but was the most consistent of all. He was Suzuki’s first champion since 2000. In 2026 he rides for Honda, and from 2027 he will move to the Gresini Ducati team.

5. Jorge Martín

Moto3 world champion in 2018 and MotoGP champion in 2024 with the Pramac Ducati: the first champion of the MotoGP era with an independent team. His move to Aprilia in 2025 was marred by a series of injuries, but in 2026 Martín returned to the top and after the Austrian Grand Prix he leads the championship. In 2027 he will move to Yamaha.

4. Àlex Crivillé

The pioneer. 125cc world champion in 1989, he won his first premier-class race at Assen in 1992, the first Spaniard to do so, and in 1999 became the first Spanish 500cc world champion, ending the dominance of American and Australian riders. He won fifteen 500cc Grands Prix and paved the way for everyone who came after him.

3. Dani Pedrosa

One of the most talented riders ever never to win the premier-class title. World champion in 125cc in 2003 and in 250cc in 2004 and 2005, in MotoGP he was runner-up three times, in 2007, 2010 and 2012, and won 31 Grands Prix. Since 2019 he has been a KTM test rider, where he has played a decisive role in developing the bike.

2. Jorge Lorenzo

250cc world champion in 2006 and 2007 and MotoGP champion in 2010, 2012 and 2015 with Yamaha. He won 47 premier-class Grands Prix, with a clean, precise riding style that made him one of the most recognisable riders of his era. He retired at the end of 2019.

1. Marc Márquez

The greatest of them all. 125cc world champion in 2010 and Moto2 champion in 2012, he won the MotoGP title in 2013, 2014 and from 2016 to 2019 with Honda. After difficult years marked by his 2020 arm injury, he relaunched his career with Ducati and in 2025 won his seventh premier-class title with five races to spare, equalling Valentino Rossi’s nine world championships in total. As of September 2026 he has won 78 MotoGP Grands Prix, despite an injury at Le Mans that made him miss two races this season.

Honourable mentions

Just outside the top 10 are riders who wrote important chapters. Aleix Espargaró gave Aprilia its first MotoGP win in Argentina in 2022 and retired at the end of 2024, becoming a Honda test rider. Álex Rins has won six Grands Prix and will leave motorcycle racing at the end of 2026. Carlos Checa, with two premier-class wins, became the first Spanish Superbike world champion in 2011.

The 2026 season: another Spanish battle

After fifteen of twenty-two races, at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix on 20 September, the MotoGP standings are led by Jorge Martín on the Aprilia, with 306 points, ahead of Marc Márquez on the Ducati with 294 and Marco Bezzecchi with 264. Pedro Acosta is fourth. In 2026 most of the wins have gone to Spanish riders, and the 2027 market has already reshaped the grid: Acosta at Ducati alongside Márquez, Martín at Yamaha, Álex Márquez at KTM and Mir at Gresini.

What it means for a brand

The Spanish MotoGP audience is among the largest and most passionate in the world, and Spanish riders are also stars in Latin American markets. For a brand that wants to speak to this audience, a rider or a team with a Spanish rider is a powerful lever. If you want to understand how to build a MotoGP sponsorship, start from our page on MotoGP sponsorship, read our guide on which MotoGP rider to sponsor or contact us.

Sources: FIM, Marc Márquez’s 2025 title; MotoGP, Marc Márquez 2025 champion; Crash.net, the final 2025 standings; Crash.net, the 2026 standings after Austria; MotoGP, Jorge Lorenzo becomes a MotoGP Legend; Wikipedia, Dani Pedrosa; Wikipedia, Àlex Crivillé; Wikipedia, Joan Mir; Wikipedia, Jorge Martín; Wikipedia, Maverick Viñales; Wikipedia, Sete Gibernau; Wikipedia, Pedro Acosta; Wikipedia, Álex Márquez; MotoGP, Acosta at Ducati from 2027; MotoGP, Martín at Yamaha from 2027; MotoGP, Mir at Gresini from 2027; The Race, the 2027 grid; MotoGP, Márquez’s 2026 injury; HRC, Aleix Espargaró as test rider; Motorsport.com, Rins leaves MotoGP; Wikipedia, Carlos Checa; MotoGP, Liberty Media acquires MotoGP; HRC, the end of the Repsol partnership.