Johann Zarco reminds Marc Marquez of his own MotoGP rookie form

Zarco, who has graduated to the premier class after back-to-back Moto2 titles, led on his debut in Qatar before crashing out and has since posted three straight top-five finishes.

His early charges in races have caught the eye, Zarco passing Valentino Rossi, Maverick Vinales, Cal Crutchlow and Andrea Iannone in the space of two laps at Jerez, and pressuring Marquez briefly.

While he was hauled in by Jorge Lorenzo and could not take a maiden podium, Zarco is now sixth in the championship.

Marquez burst into MotoGP as the reigning Moto2 champion in 2013, replacing Casey Stoner at Honda and winning the title as a rookie.

His aggressive style ruffled feathers, though, Lorenzo accusing Marquez of putting other riders at risk after a last-lap Jerez clash, and team-mate Dani Pedrosa labelling him as too aggressive after a collision at Aragon.

"Zarco already was really impressive in Qatar, [at Jerez] I fight with him for two, three laps because still my rear tyre was not good enough and he was pushing a lot," he said.

"He reminds me a little bit of me when I arrived in MotoGP.

"Really aggressive, pushing on the limit and [getting] warnings and nearly crashing, but in the end it is the way to learn."

"If he wants to learn, he needs to be like this.

"He needs to push from the beginning."

Rossi was unhappy with a move made by Zarco at Austin a fortnight ago, saying he had to "overtake in another way" than in Moto2.

Following their battle at Jerez, Lorenzo praised the rookie's approach, even if he feels Zarco has elements to refine in close combat.

"I like a lot the attitude of Johann because he thinks about racing, he trains a lot and he's very determined on the bike," he said.

"If he was world champion two times in Moto2, that's because he's good, very good.

"Obviously, the Yamaha for a rookie gives you a lot of confidence and it's an easy bike.

"But for sure, he's very determined, very fast and sometimes a little bit too determined, especially when he is fighting with another rider.

"He needs to be a little bit more careful because these bikes are bigger and they have more inertia than the Moto2 bikes.

"But apart from that I like a lot the attitude of him and he's a really, really good rider."