Spielberg, Austria - Four times MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez drove a Formula One car for the first time at the Red Bull Ring on Tuesday but said his focus remained firmly on two wheels for the next few years at least.
Marquez, advised by former Red Bull F1 racer Mark Webber and watched by retired triple champion Niki Lauda, drove a V8 engined car liveried in Toro Rosso colours at the test.
"My complete focus in the coming years will remain on MotoGP," the 25-year-old Spaniard, whose team also has Red Bull as a sponsor, said afterwards. "I’m part of a fantastic team, and I feel fully motivated. Who knows though, maybe Formula One will be a serious idea for me in a few years’ time."
Marquez leads the MotoGP championship, despite failing to score at Mugello in Italy at the weekend after crashing out of second while chasing eventual winner Jorge Lorenzo.
Picture: Markus Berger / Red Bull Content
Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko suggested Marquez could one day make the leap to Formula One. The late John Surtees remains the only man to have won world titles on two wheels and four while his fellow-Briton Mike Hailwood also competed successfully in both.
Italian MotoGP great Valentino Rossi has also tested with Ferrari in the past while triple MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo has driven a Mercedes. Double F1 world champion Fernando Alonso, who now races for McLaren, has also tested Marquez's 2015 Honda RC213V.
Marko said of Marquez: "In the coming years he is going to break a lot more records in MotoGP. Maybe after that, Formula One will actually be a possibility.
"Up to now only a few exceptional talents, such as John Surtees, have managed to compete in both racing series. Marc also has what it takes. Today definitely wasn’t the last time he will sit in a Formula One car."