Marc Marquez admits he was focused on Andrea Iannone in Austin MotoGP qualifying when he unintentionally blocked Maverick Vinales' flying lap.
Marquez was preparing for his final run following a crash at Turn 13 just moments earlier when a charging Vinales was forced to abandon his lap when he caught the Honda rider touring on the racing line through the stadium section.
Race Direction handed Marquez a three-place penalty for the incident, stripping him of his sixth-successive Texas pole and dropping him to fourth place.
Marquez admits he was focused more on the whereabouts of Friday pacesetter Iannone to stop him gaining a slipstream, when Vinales came up behind him. The Spaniard insists he tried to move out of the way as quickly as possible, and accepts Race Direction's decision.
“I was looking more for Iannone,” Marquez began.
“I already say, because normally I don't need to slipstream, but I know that a rider far behind me can improve a lot his laptime, and Iannone [on Friday] was first.
“So I was looking [for] Iannone and I didn't expect Maverick. When I heard the engine I just go in [to the corner], but looks like I disturbed his lap.
“They say I was on the line, for that reason [I got a penalty]. Iannone was out of the line, which I never did, but this time I was there.”
Vinales' lap at the moment he was held up was set to put him into provisional pole, though the Yamaha rider – who will now start on pole as a result of Marquez' penalty – insists he is not dwelling on qualifying.
“I'm focused on what I'm doing, I'm trying to improve my rhythm, my riding style on the bike, and I'm trying to get used to the new Yamaha,” he said.
“So, honestly, I'm not thinking about that, I'm thinking about how to improve tomorrow, I hope to be more competitive.
“It's difficult to know [if I could have been on pole]. For sure in the first lap your third and fourth sector are the best ones, but I don't know, it's difficult to say.
“As I said, I don't want to think on that, I think onto tomorrow because it's important to improve the bike a little bit more to be able to try to fight for the first places."
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