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special — that’s 10 seconds off Valtteri Bottas’ pole time in last year’s Austrian GP — his rate of progress in the outdated machine impressed Red Bull’s motorsport adviser Helmut Marko.

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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.