Marquez: We still have two more titles to achieve

After a frustrating Australian MotoGP, Marc Marquez has led the calls for his Repsol Honda squad to step up its efforts to secure the teams’ and manufacturers’ world championships.

The newly-crowned 2018 MotoGP world champion was involved in a scary clash with Tech 3’s Johann Zarco at Phillip Island, forcing him to retire from the race on lap five with damage, while team-mate Dani Pedrosa crashed out of the race on lap 11.

With the Repsol Honda’s first double DNF since the 2017 Argentina race it saw the Movistar Yamaha squad close the gap to 16 points in the teams’ standings, with Ducati edging closer to Honda to make it a 39-point deficit in the manufacturers’ championship.

The manufacturers’ crown could sealed this weekend, with the top Honda rider needing to finish at least fifth in Malaysia even if a Ducati rider wins, but the teams’ title looks set to go down to the final round in Valencia.

Marquez wants to deliver his team the perfect 2018 MotoGP campaign by helping wrap up the final two titles.

“We had quite an eventful race in Australia and it was a pity we couldn’t fight until the end, but that’s gone now and we look forward to the next round in Malaysia with our usual spirit and positive mentality,” Marquez said.

“We still have our target of two more titles to achieve, and we also want to try and win again if we have the chance to do so.

“Malaysia is a demanding round from a physical point of view but that’s something we’re prepared to deal with, so we’ll keep our concentration high and try to start strong beginning on Friday morning.”

Last season Honda claimed the clean sweep of MotoGP riders’ (Marc Marquez), teams’ (Repsol Honda) and manufacturers’ titles but in 2016 missed out on the teams’ crown to Movistar Yamaha by 28 points.

As a three-time MotoGP race-winner at Sepang, Pedrosa is also optimistic of a stronger showing after a low key end to his final campaign with Honda after crashes in Thailand and Australia plus an underwhelming eighth place in Japan.

“The Malaysian Grand Prix is a demanding venue due to both the extreme weather conditions and the track itself, which isn’t an easy one, being wide and requiring precise lines and a good setup,” Pedorsa said.

“That said, I like it very much, so I hope we can do good work and find a setting that allows me to feel good on the bike and to try to have a good weekend.”