Marc Marquez escapes Malaysia grid penalty after collision in Spain
Lorenzo accuses MotoGP leader of putting other riders at risk after high-speed crash at Aragon
MotoGP front-runner Marc Marquez escaped a grid penalty yesterday over a high-speed collision, boosting his chances of extending his championship lead this week in Malaysia.
Officials handed the rookie a penalty point for contact with Dani Pedrosa, which sent his fellow Spaniard crashing out of last month's Aragon grand prix.
But Marquez, 20, avoided the heavier fine of two penalty points, which would have forced him to start at the back of the grid at the Malaysian grand prix on Sunday.
The mistake [by Marquez] was not as serious as others, but if you sum them up then I say that he is a very aggressive rider who puts himself and others at risk
As well as the one-point penalty, which brings his season total to three, Marquez was stripped of the constructors' points earned for his victory at Aragon, Spain.
Defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo, who trails Marquez by 39 points in the standings, had earlier urged officials to be tough with the youngster.
Safety is again in focus at Malaysia's Sepang circuit after two people died in an accident last month, two years after the fatal crash of young Italian star Marco Simoncelli.
"The mistake[by Marquez] was not as serious as others, but if you sum them up then I say that he is a very aggressive rider who puts himself and others at risk," Lorenzo said.