MotoGP 'better than F1', says Marc Marquez

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Given that he's a three-time MotoGP champion, it's perhaps no surprise that Marc Marquez believes the motorcycling world series is better than Formula 1.

Both championships are staging the first race of their respective 2017 seasons this weekend. While Formula 1 is basking in the late Australian summer, MotoGP opens on Sunday under the floodlights at Qatar.

"Just a few years ago, we were looking at Formula 1 as the model we wanted to achieve," Marquez told Germany's Sport Bild this week.

"I think we're going back on that now.

"With bikes we have what Formula 1 is missing," the 24-year-old continued. "Different winners, more overtaking, more action, more show, more enthusiastic fans."

While some of those might be contentious, there's little doubt that Marquez is right about the number of winners.

Last year, nine different riders took a victory in the 18-race MotoGP season. Marquez himself won the most number of races with five wins on his way to clinching the title.

That compares to just four winners in 21 Formula 1 races in 2016. Lewis Hamilton took ten wins, with his team mate Nico Rosberg claiming another nine and the title itself. The only non-Mercedes winners were Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen with one victory apiece.

Lorenzo: MotoGP riders braver than F1 drivers

Jorge Lorenzo, another former MotoGP champion, recently suggested that motorcyclists were braver than Formula 1 drivers. He was speaking after getting to try out a Mercedes during a test day at Silverstone.

"The safety of a Formula 1 car is at a very high level with all the cockpit and all this," Lorenzo said. "It's easier to injure yourself in a bike than in a car.

"In Formula 1 is very difficult to get seriously injured. In that aspect we have a little bit bigger balls."

But as for whether MotoGP beats Formula 1 in terms of action, overtaking and especially fan enthusiasm is very much a matter for debate.

In any case, Marquez admitted that he would never be able to move from two- to four-wheel racing, as the late John Surtees did so successfully in the 1950s and 60s.

"I would never have the motivation to be a Formula 1 driver," the Spanish rider conceded.

GALLERY: all the pics from Friday's action

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.