VOL. 55 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 6, 2018 P53
MARQUEZ POLE
SNATCHED
Marc Marquez qualified on pole for the
Malaysian GP. But after a steward's
penalty, he was dropped to the third
row of the grid. The Repsol Honda
rider was judged to have baulked
Andrea Iannone during Q2, riding
slowly on the racing line. Marquez
explained he had seen another Suzuki
(Rins) behind him and stayed tight for
that corner but was unaware that Ian-
none was also there and about to pass
him on the inside. Iannone gestured
angrily, and the stewards backed him
up, dropping Marquez from first on the
grid to seventh. "The important thing
is I was fastest," Marquez said, adding
after the race, "starting from the third
row was extra motivation."
YAMAHA'S NEW ENGINE
Yamaha riders will have to wait until the
Sepang tests kick off the pre-season
next year for engine changes aimed
at solving the problems that have
plagued the 2018 season. This was
revealed by team manager Massimo
Meregalli, interviewed by Dorna, and
saying that the well-publicized prob-
lems with electronics "was not the only
point" in their longest winless streak,
brought to an end after 25 races by
Vinales in last weekend's Australian
GP. The engine character was also a
problem, he said. "It will be smoother
next year."
ROSSI TO QUIT?
Rossi to quit? Rumors were rife in
Malaysia that Yamaha's multi-champi-
on Valentino Rossi might not see out
his full two-year contract, if there is
not a radical improvement next year.
The Italian, whose own Australian
GP ended in disappointment, as he
Briefly...
With Valentino Rossi
out of the way on the
penultimate lap, it
was smooth sailing
for Marc Marquez to
take another win.
