Source: Supplied.

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez is one step closer to securing his fourth MotoGP Word Championship as he carries a 21-point advantage into Valencia’s finale on 12 November.

The Spaniard had the opportunity to seal the title at Sunday’s penultimate round in Malaysia, however with rain resulting in challenging conditions, Marquez elected to play it safe and settled for fourth at the Sepang International Circuit.

“Today the race was the most difficult one we could have had for the championship because we had rain conditions and the track was extremely slippery,” Marquez explained. “Anyway, I got a good start, and I tried to push at the beginning because I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the group.

“Then I tried to find the feeling and the pace but I saw that both the Ducatis were very fast, so I decided to not take too many risks, to be calm, and to get good points for the championship. I thought about trying to get Zarco but the risk was too big just to have an advantage of 24 points instead of 21. This wasn’t the race to win the Title but rather one to get closer to it.

“I’m happy because after a difficult weekend, at a track where we always struggle, we still managed to finish fourth. Of course now we need to keep focused, to train well this week, and to work to be at 100 percent on Sunday in Valencia without relaxing too much with the advantage we have.”

Current runner-up in points standings Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) captured a vital win yesterday that ensured the title will be decided at final round in Spain.