Marc Marquez says he ‘didn’t see’ Andrea Iannone after the MotoGP world champion lost hiღs pole position at Sepang as a result of an incident involving the Suzuki ride🦩r.

Marquez has been hit with a six-place grid penalty following an FIM Stewards in𒐪vestigation following Q2 in Malaysia, demoting the Spaniard to seventh position on row three.

The 25-year-old was found guilty of riding ‘in an irresponsible manner, being slow on the racing 🔯line and disturbing another rider’ following the incident at Turn 9. An irate Iannone remonstrated with Marquez on the track following the episode.

However, Marquez – speaking before he learned of his pun𝔉ishment – said the incident was unintentional.

“I was going out of the box and I let (Andrea) Dovizioso overtꦐake, and then I lo𒀰oked behind and I saw only one Suzuki, which was (Alex) Rins; but because Iannone was maybe on the other side, I didn’t see him,” he said.

“So then on the entry I was very tight on the inside but he overtook me from inside. Of course, maybe I disturbed him, but if I get a penalty I don’t know – Race Direction will decide. But I tried to avoid and this is only what I can say – I didn’t see. But it doesn’t matter, I did the fastest laꦺp and so this is the most important for me.”

Italian rider Iannone saiಌd Marquez had apologised, which he accepted, adding that he was not a rider who would ‘go to Race Dirꦰection and push (for a penalty’.

He said: “I arrived from Turn 8 really fast, and Marc was riding slow. When I arrived at Turn 9, I brak🐽ed much before, and also turned with low speed, and I didn’t accelerate well, I lost three, four tenths, minim𒅌um. But OK, sometimes this is possible to happen. It’s like this.

“If I look at the rules, yes (it is a penalty). When you ride slow, it's not possible to stay on the good line. You stay on the outside line. He stayed on the line. But 🀅no problem. Marc said ‘sorry Andrea’, so no problem. For sure, I'm not a type of rider who goes to Race Direction and push: penalty, penalty, penalty. Everybody is like this, I'm not. I'm different.”

The inci𝔍dent marks the second time this season Marquez has lost pole position in a post-qualifying review. He received a three-place grid demotion at the United States MotoGP when he was found guilty of the same offence, obstructing Movistar Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales on that occasion.