Marc Marquez raise𓂃d eyebrows on Saturday at Sepang when he claimed not to have been singling out Fabio Quartararo during qualifying for the Malaysian MotoGP, prior to a nasty highside🥂.

The eight-time champion had been tailing the flying Petronas 🔴Yamaha rookie throughout the opening qualifying run. The pair then pitted together, emerging back on track for the pole position showdown with Marquez again glued to Quartararo's rear wheel.

Quartararo gla💞nced back during the out-lap, slowing and pulling offline in an attempt to allow the Repsol Honda rider to pass. However, the Spaniard didn't accept the invitation and remained just behind the rookie.

Jack Miller, Franc൩esco Bagnaia, Alex Rins and Cal Crutchlow also joined the train but🦩 as Quartararo blasted out of the final turn to start his hot lap, Marquez had a wobble, allowing Danilo Petrucci to get between them.

Appearing eager not 🌱to lose touch with Quartararo, Marquez outbraked the Ducati r🔯ider into Turn One and was back within a few bikelengths of Quartararo as he flicked his RCV into the following left-hander.

🀅But disaster struck when Marquez's rear tyre kicked out and 𓂃;bit, pitching him straight over the handlebars and face-first into the asphalt.

Sepang team manager Wilco Zeelenberg was sure about what had happened: "Marc clearly tri♑ed to get into Fabio's head and he hit his head. I hope Marc's not injured, but he tried to get into Fabio's head because he knows Fabio is fast."

However, 🎐Marquez insisted he had not been targetting Quartararo and was actually looking for a slower rider to follow.

"In some cꦡircuits you are strong and some riders are following me, and in some circuits I just need to find another strategy," Mar🎐quez began.

"I tried to push alone in the first practice, but alone my lap time was 1m 59.4-59.3. If I have somebody in front, I was able t꧟o do 1m 59.0-58 high. But it was impossible to do a 1m 58 low like they did.

"Just this time it was Quartararo, but honestly speaking, I was looking for another rider, because it's quite difficult to follow him, because he's doing ♍the lap timཧe in a different way and it's not so good to follow him with the Honda.

"I was looking for an♌other rider. But yes, this time the strategy was not the perfect one."

Quartararo went on to c💎laim pole with a new lap record, while Marquez will start from eleventh on the grid💞, his worst qualifying since 2015.

"I'm OK. Of course, painful around all the body… it was a big crash," he said. "We set-up the bike to have a good rhythm, but we were struggling for one lap, especially in the change of direction and the bike was ﷽a little bit more unstable."

Crutchlow has previously warned that the Honda is more critical than some other bikes as far as building and keeping tyre temperature on an out-lap, meaning backing off to stay behind Quartar﷽aro 🐟might have cost Marquez dearly in the end.

But Marqཧuez said: "The rear tyre was ready, because from T15 I was fast and I was OK... Maybe I changed direction a little bit too aggressive [at Turn 2], pushed too༒ much. 

"Especially the Yamaha riders, when they have a new tyre, they are extra fast, and🐟 they c❀an change direction in a very good way.

"I was behind Quartararo, he changed direction and I copied🧸, but I just flew."

Noneth♚el🦹ess, "Honestly speaking, it's more disappointing to be starting from P11, than the crash."

Marquez knows he now has a fight on his hands to cl🌜aim a twelfth win of the season and sixth victory in a row on Sunday.

"It will be difficult because this is not one of the best circuits for u🗹s. The only thing is that in FP4 [when Marquez was fifth] we had a good rhythm, but it will be difficult. It's not the same as starting from the front.

"We start from eleventh, we will try to do our 100%. The target is to try to arr꧂ive in the top five, and if it's possible, the podium wo𒈔uld be perfect. But victory will be very difficult..."

Fellow Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales and Franc🌞o Morbidelli will join Quartararo on Sunday's ൲front row.

Crutchlow was the top Honda rider in fifth place.