Valentino Rossi's special MotoGP talent revealed after Marquez comparison
15:30, 17 Aug
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Judging the best MotoGP rider is nearly impossible, but having worked with many of the greats, suspension guru Jonas Torstensson can at least have a go.
Öhlins has worked with the series for close to four decades and currently supplies suspension to nine of the 11 teams.
During that run, Torstensson has worked with all of the modern-day greats and has offered a fascinating insight into what makes them so special.
Naturally, things quickly turned to Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi’s legendary rivalry, and MARCA asked the Öhlins general manager about working with both.
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Marquez 'understands the bike better than anyone'
“Marc Marquez probably understands the bike better than anyone else,” he said.
“He can also define what the bike needs to go faster; his feedback is also very good. At the same time, if you make a mistake or can't find the best setup, he'll still be very fast.
“We've had some tests where we brought something new, and he'd go out and set a great time, and we'd say, 'Wow, this stuff is really good.' And he'd come back and say, 'No, I don't like it.'
“Then we'd ask him, 'So how come you're so fast?' He'd say, 'I just pushed harder.’”
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“Then we'd ask him, 'So how come you're so fast?' He'd say, 'I just pushed harder.’”- Jonas Torstensson
Marquez's rivalry with Rossi reached boiling point during the controversial 2015 season, when the pair infamously came together in Malaysia and the younger Spaniard crashed out.
Their rivalry reached a nasty crescendo, and Rossi lost the title to Jorge Lorenzo and never won another.
The legendary Italian was nicknamed ‘The Doctor’ throughout his career, and Torstensson explained exactly why he had that moniker.
Marquez and Rossi's rivalry divided the sport (Credit: Red Bull Content Pool)
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Why Valentino Rossi really lived up to 'The Doctor' nickname
“You have Valentino; he had something special,” he said.
“When he got on a bike, the bike spoke to him, and he could translate it to tell the engineers what needed to be done on the bike to go fast.”
Torstensson also gave other insights, including on two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia.
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The Ducati rider has seen his form drop off a cliff in recent years, particularly with Marquez as his teammate in Italy.
Torstensson explained what makes the pair so different.
Key difference between Marquez and Bagnaia explained
“They're both very sensitive, but in different ways,” he said. “Being the most sensitive can be a positive thing, but also a negative.
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“For example, you might read in some media outlets that Pecco is criticised for being very sensitive, but, from my point of view, he is a really great rider.
“When we test things with him, he really knows how to define what it is, and his feedback is very good. It's also true that he's sensitive in the other way; he needs to set up the bike properly to go fast. As an engineer, for testing, that's a very good thing.”
Finally, Torstensson gave an insight on Fabio Quartararo, who has been down in the doldrums in recent years following his 2021 title triumph.
Quartararo's behaviour behind the scenes revealed
“You can see that Fabio Quartararo is very passionate, for sure, but this isn't something you can only see on television,” he said.
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“From an engineer's perspective, this will never be a problem, because he's always very professional when you talk to him, even when he shows his emotions; he never does anything stupid.”
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