Marquez must be less aggressive or risk injury

Marquez, whose style is characterised by always riding on the limit, suffered 27 crashes in 2017, more than anyone in MotoGP except Aprilia rookie Sam Lowes.

The Honda rider also barely avoided falling in the season finale in Valencia while fighting for the race win, despite only needing to finish in the top 11 to secure the title and deny Andrea Dovizioso.

Schwantz, 500cc world champion in 1993, praised Marquez's abilities but at the same time warned the Spaniard risks getting seriously injured unless he moderates his approach.

"You have to find a way to ride hard and at the same time lower the risk, because one day you might hurt yourself," Schwantz told Motorsport.com.

"Maybe you just break your collarbone or something simple, but that will slow you down.

"He is on the limit every lap. If you give your 100 percent, you make mistakes, but it is also the way to discover what the bike is capable of doing.

"You can't do that at 95 or 96 percent. He has been lucky because he suffered some major accidents this year without hurting himself.

"He has discovered how to get the most out of the Honda and has adapted his riding style to the bike. It is a pleasure to see him [ride] because he does incredible things in every lap.

"I spoke with Livio Suppo [former Honda MotoGP boss] and he said: 'It's hard to believe what he does'. Looking at him you immediately realise how incredible he is."

Marquez aims to crash less in the future

Marquez himself admitted that one of his main goals for 2018, besides securing a fifth premier class title, is crashing less after his incident-filled 2017 campaign.

"I am always self-critical and the goal with a view to next year is to maintain speed but with less falls," said Marquez.

"And do not make the same mistakes in the races, like [crashes in] Argentina and Austin. I have to sit down this winter to think.

"I was pushing every practice, always all in since FP1. I was going out and was convinced that I was able to be fast.

"Of course it is something that we can change for the future and try to be realistic on the way."