Valentino Rossi tried it. So did Jorge Lorenzo. Now six-time world champion Marc Marquez has swapped two wheels for four and tested a Formula 1 car… The Repsol Honda Team MotoGP rider got behind the wheel of a Toro Rosso-branded F1 car at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria on Tuesday for a private test. Ex-F1 race winner Mark Webber, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko and Mercedes non-executive chairman and three-time F1 world champion Niki Lauda were on-site to keep an eye on the Spaniard's progress.<doc-sep>MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez tried a Formula 1 car for the first time at the Red Bull Ring on Tuesday. Pic: Red Bull IF Marc Marquez ever becomes serious about taking the plunge and switching to Formula 1 full time, a key Red Bull chief believes he has the ability to pull it off. The multiple MotoGP world champion tested Red Bull’s 2012-spec show car at the Red Bull Ring on Tuesday, his first laps in an F1 car and only his second drive of an open wheeler. While his best lap of 1m14.9s doesn’t sound overly special — that’s 10 seconds off Valtteri Bottas’ pole time in last year’s Austrian GP — his rate of progress in the outdated machine impressed Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Helmut Marko. LIVE Stream the Canadian Grand Prix Exclusively Live & Ad-break free during racing on FOX SPORTS. SIGN UP NOW > MARQUEZ: Massive difference between F1 car and MotoGP bike “Marc started at 1m21 and got down to 1m14,” Marko revealed to media at the circuit. “He is an exception in the MotoGP and it looks similar here at the Formula 1. “I am happy that he gets along so quickly. A slower program was intended in the first case but I said Marc can do this instantly — and he confirmed that.” Marquez, along with MotoGP teammate Dani Pedrosa who also tested the car Tuesday, spent time in Red Bull’s F1 simulator in England to prepare for the day. Former F1 star Mark Webber played coach for the day, and he too was impressed by how quickly Marquez took to the four-wheel machine. “He was really quiet still at breakfast,” Webber said. “As soon as he got into the cockpit, he was 100 per cent focused and delivered a top performance on the race track. Mark Webber coached Marc Marquez through his first laps in a Formula 1 car. Pic: Red Bull Source: Supplied “Formula 1 and MotoGP are two completely different things. Marc made my job as an instructor very easy though. He always asked the right questions and improved lap by lap.” Prior to the test, Marko suggested that Red Bull could slot him into one of their F1 teams in 2021, should he prove good enough and should he be interested. In Marko’s mind, the MotoGP star has already ticked the first box. “I think he made a progress that would have left him at least in the midfield in Formula 1,” he said. “To put that kind of performance in within such a short time says everything about his huge talent. The suit, gloves and boots were different, but the Marquez helmet design remained. Pic: Red Bull Source: Supplied “In the coming years he is going to break a lot more records in MotoGP. Maybe after that, Formula 1 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 1 car.” There were plenty of influential eyes on Marquez during the test. Along with Marko and Mercedes F1’s Niki Lauda, the boss of Honda’s F1 operations Masahi Yamamoto was also spotted on the pit wall by German outlet Speedweek, who also noted that Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz also stopped by the circuit to see Marquez’s progress.<doc-sep>REIGNING MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez enjoyed his first laps behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car in Austria on Tuesday. The current points leader swapped his Repsol Honda RC213V for a V8-powered Red Bull RB8 from the 2012 season — the same kind of car that carried Mark Webber to the final two F1 wins of his career — but painted in the current colours of the Honda-powered Toro Rosso squad. With his only prior open-wheel experience a handful of laps in a Formula 3 car at Motegi in Japan, Red Bull gave him time in their simulator before turning him loose in the real deal at the Red Bull Ring — and just as well. LIVE Stream the Canadian Grand Prix Exclusively Live & Ad-break free during racing on FOX SPORTS. SIGN UP NOW > “It turns out that you can’t save a crash in an F1 car with your elbows,” he joked with media at last weekend’s Italian GP. In all, Marquez completed 43 laps in the car, with no stint longer than six laps, with Webber on hand in a coaching role to help his transition from bike to car. Along with the physical and visual constraints of the cockpit compared to his bike, Marquez reported that the braking and racing lines were very different to his two-wheel machine. “There is a massive difference to MotoGP,” he said. “The limited visibility was a great challenge, in particular, to begin with. You feel a lot more constricted in the cockpit. Marquez talks about his first laps with Webber, Niki Lauda and Helmut Marko (hidden). Source: Getty Images “The braking distances and timing in turns is completely different. A Formula 1 car has much more downforce, of course, which made for a lot of fun in the part of the circuit with the most turns, in particular.” Although laptimes weren’t released, Motorsport.com reports that Marquez turned a best lap of 1m14.9s. Marquez had previously completed time in Red Bull’s F1 simulator in England. Source: Getty Images That is some 10 seconds slower than the pole time for last year’s Austrian GP, but set in a six-year-old show car with less power, less downforce, no KERS, no DRS and hard Pirelli demonstration tyres. “It was always my dream to race the quickest cars in the world. I had great respect for it ahead of today, and I didn’t sleep well. In the end it was an unbelievable experience, and an absolute highlight of my career. Marquez completed 43 laps in all. Pic: Red Bull Source: Supplied Last year, Marquez told FOX SPORTS that he had no interest in making a switch to F1. But now he’s had a taste, it sounds like the door is at least open now. “My complete focus in the coming years will remain on MotoGP,” he said. “I’m part of a fantastic team, and I feel fully motivated. “Who knows though, maybe Formula 1 will be a serious idea for me in a few years’ time!” Marquez’s soon to be ex-teammate Dani Pedrosa got his turn behind the wheel in the afternoon.<doc-sep>
Four-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez drove a Formula 1 car for the first time on Tuesday as he completed a Toro Rosso test run, and even admitted he would consider switching two wheels for four in the future. WATCH: He’s a four-time world champion on two wheels, but how would Marc Marquez get on on four wheels? The Honda MotoGP rider got behind the wheel of a Red Bull RB8 in Toro Rosso livery.#MotoGP #SkyF1 #F1 #Marquez #MM93 pic.twitter.com/eeWuvTNQvJ — Sky Sports F1 🏎 (@SkySportsF1) June 6, 2018 Marquez, a modern legend of MotoGP and leader of the 2018 championship with Honda, was let loose at the Red Bull Ring in Austria in a V8-powered car with the current Toro Rosso livery. The Spaniard called it an "unbelievable experience, and an absolute highlight of my career" as he drove around the Spielberg track for a couple of hours, under the watchful eye of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko and former driver Mark Webber. And though Marquez, still just 25, says he remains focused on MotoGP, he would not rule out a move to F1. "My complete focus in the coming years will remain on MotoGP. I'm part of a fantastic team, and I feel fully motivated," he said. "Who knows though, maybe Formula 1 will be a serious idea for me in a few years' time!" And Marko, who has nurtured several young drivers at Red Bull, was suitably impressed. "To put that kind of performance in within such a short time says everything about his huge talent," he added. "In the coming years he is going to break a lot more records in MotoGP. "Maybe after that, Formula 1 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 1 car." Marquez's Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa also tested the STR car, and they are not the first MotoGP drivers to try their hands at F1. Most notably, seven-time champion Valentino Rossi tested a Ferrari, while Jorge Lorenzo has been given a run in the Mercedes. *Pictures courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool Can Ferrari or Red Bull deny Lewis Hamilton a fourth consecutive win in Montreal? Watch the Canadian GP exclusively live on Sky Sports F1 from June 8-10. Get Sky Sports F1.