Marquez explains "dangerous" FP1 run-in with Vinales

The Spaniard was approaching Turn 5 behind Karel Abraham, Vinales and Aleix Espargaro, but braked too deep.

With Vinales and Abraham both taking the corner slowly, slightly on the outside of the ideal line, Marquez had to squeeze past the gap between the two riders, nearly hitting Vinales, and going off-track.

Marquez explained that he had to stop braking and started to accelerate to get between the two bikes and escape the "dangerous" situation.

"About FP1 with Maverick, and Abraham, this was tight," said Marquez. "This was quite dangerous because they went wide, maybe slower, but here when you go to the dirty lane it is so difficult to turn the bike, to stop.

"I was going in and then I started to lose the rear, I say okay, I go wide. I realised that, as I go wide, they were off-line.

"When I saw a small place between Abraham and Maverick I just release the brakes and open gas to be on the place because if not I contact them and was too dangerous."

Marquez had another incident at the end of FP2, when he impressively avoided a highside crash in the pitlane while he was practising flag-to-flag bike changes.

"I was trying to make a quick flag-to-flag and I give my record time because my team told me, they control," added the reigning champion.

"The place where it's the bike [it] is no asphalt, it is kind of a different tarmac and was more slippery and rather dirty and I lose the rear.

"We need to be careful about this on Sunday because it is another point where we have some risk."

Crutchlow: Marquez saves "ridiculous"

Cal Crutchlow praised Marquez for both of his saves, saying another rider would not have been able to avoid crashing.

"It's getting ridiculous now," said the LCR Honda rider. "How does he miss Vinales this morning, when all of us would've just cleaned him up?

"And then, he played with it was well, it was great to watch, but I don't think [Vinales] was too happy. Maybe he's playing. I know the way Marc works.

"So I wouldn't be surprised - I am not saying he did it on purpose, but he would've loved that it's happened, that's sure.

"Then, yes, coming out of the box, the rest of us would've took three mechanics out and had a smashed motorcycle and a dislocated ankle. And that's the truth of it."

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont and Federico Faturos