Five-time MotoGP World Champion Mick Doohan believes that Marc Marquez has all the attributes to join him on the all-time greats list but will only do so if he continues to have fun.

The Australian, who once described racing as ‘as boring as shit’ when he was dominating the 500cc class, thinks that Marquez has all the talent and determination it takes to be a legend in the sport.

"He’s not scared that’s for sure. Having that self-belief is what gets him through. It has been there throughout, it is one of Valentino Rossi’s strengths, all the way through to Wayne Rainey and a lot of people before him. It is just believing that you can get away with it,” said Doohan.

“Why do some people crash at a similar speed, whilst others stay on? It is confidence and belief that they are not going to crash and they are going to get through it.

"It has been a long time since we have seen somebody like Marquez do what he does on a motorcycle and not fall off the thing. That all comes down to confidence.

"He is certainly young enough. Rossi had a very good run, as well. Certainly today there are more races, but in our sport luck plays a big part in it. Marquez has age on his side, he has talent on his side and he is mentally strong enough as we have seen. He has had some big hits, especially in Moto2 and he has had some great races.

"He is not shy. As long as he keeps wanting to race and continue to have fun doing it, then the statistics may all be his.”