Eight-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez has labelled comparisons between himself and seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton as “a pleasure”.
Marquez and Hamilton have followed similar career paths in recent years – the former making the switch from Honda to Ducati machinery last season before stepping up into the factory team for the current campaign, while the Briton has made the move from Mercedes to Ferrari.
With both being multiple world champions either on two or four wheels, comparisons have been made for the current campaign, especially with Hamilton winning the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race and Marquez having won the opening two rounds of MotoGP’s season.
Marquez: ‘He’s a superstar’
Ahead of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas last weekend, where Marquez crashed out from the lead, the Spaniard responded to the comparisons made with Hamilton in the pre-event press conference.
“The common thing is that he [Hamilton] changed manufacturer,” said Marquez.
“He jumped to the red car this year and already he got a good result in that sprint race, qualifying and sprint race, in the China GP.
“It’s a pleasure for me if they compared me with Lewis, because he’s not only a really good driver, also he’s a superstar.
“Of course we have different styles, but it is always super nice if they compare you with a great athlete, doesn’t matter which sport.”
Marquez’s crash at Austin on the weekend means he now trails brother Alex by a single point in the riders’ standings, while Hamilton’s disqualification from the grand prix in China leaves him in ninth, albeit ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.
