'Marquez is simply a different level to the others,' says MotoGP legend Doohan

The five-time premier class champion and Australian motorsport legend was unreserved in his praise for Marquez, stating that he is "simply on a different level compared with the others."

In an interview with Spanish outlet Marca, Doohan spoke about Marquez after the Ducati rider was nominated for a prestigious sporting award against the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Oussmane Dembele.

"What Marc has been through, the way he's been able to recover from his injury, is incredible." Said Doohan, "not only from the injury itself, but also from the length of his recovery. Also, changing manufacturers, changing everything, but maintaining his motivation."

"In his second year with a Ducati, his first with the factory Ducati team, he was simply on a different level from the rest."

"I'd like to see him win [the Laureus Award]. Of course, he deserves it. For me, he deserves to win it this year. I think he would be very proud if he did. I think he's won it before. We all know how good he is."

When asked about Marquez's resilience in the face of injury setbacks, Doohan responded with the following:

"Coming from the dominant position he had before the accident, going through that, and having a season where he wasn't really fighting for the World Championship because he knew it was out of reach, but he stayed focused on the long term. That's what it means to be dominant again and to show how good he was and how good he is. That demonstrates Marc's great character and what helped him overcome that injury."

"It's different for everyone, so I can't speak personally about Marc, but he's a champion because of his mentality. He's surely had many dark days, months, and years, doubting himself. It's the mind, which is a strange thing. He's been able to overcome the barriers of pain, doubt, and everything that crossed his mind, like whether he should stop, take some time off, what to do. He made the right decisions, and that's another sign that he's a true champion."

"That makes his handling of everything even more impressive, both in the first place and in what he achieved and his comeback. I think that even if you're not a motorsport fan, what he did was legendary."