Marquez: Yamaha cheated and the MotoGP riders knew it
Alex Marquez claims Yamaha "cheated" and the riders knew the engines they used in the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix were illegal


Yamaha was docked 50 constructors' points on Thursday after an FIM investigation found the Japanese marque had used engines fitted with non-homologated valves for the Spanish GP in July.
The penalty has not impacted any of Yamaha's three championship contenders in Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales, but some - including Suzuki boss Davide Brivio - have said a Yamaha title win would cast a "shadow" over the season.
Yamaha insists the valves it used were not of a different design to those it had homologated pre-season, and that this infringement was an "internal oversight", while Morbidelli, Quartararo and Vinales have all denied they knew their Spanish GP engines were illegal.
But Honda rider Marquez doesn't buy this, and also believes the other Yamaha riders knew what was going on.
"What is clear at the end is that they have cheated or have not been within the regulations," Marquez said of Yamaha.

On the riders' claims they were not aware of any transgressions, he added: "The excuse of 'I did not know' exists, at all times the factory is very open and you know what engine you are using.
"You know everything, you are up to date, as a rider you are always watching when they install an engine or store it, always you are aware of what you are using."
Dovizioso doesn't understand Yamaha ruling
Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso admits "I don't understand" the ruling handed down to Yamaha, and is equally perplexed at why the other manufacturers accepted the punishment.
The points docked from Yamaha's constructors' championship are only from the Spanish GP, which Quartararo won.
Given Dovizioso would have been promoted from third to first at the Spanish GP had Yamaha been disqualified from the Spanish GP, it would have strengthened Ducati's hopes of winning the 2020 title.
"That's what I don't understand," Dovizioso, who is 28 points off the championship lead with three rounds to go, said when told about the Spanish GP result implications.
"I'm not understanding the strategy of the various manufacturers, which seem to have agreed not to go against it [the ruling].
"I don't know all the details, so I don't want to sentence, but it seems very strange to me."

MotoGP European Grand Prix qualifying - Start time, how to watch & more
Five Yamaha MotoGP team members including Meregalli quarantined due to COVID-19

Latest news
2022 MotoGP title fight now “very tight”, says Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro believes the current MotoGP championship picture following the British Grand Prix has set up “a very, very tight” title battle.
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
Rins “destroyed” after “not normal” grip issues end Silverstone MotoGP win hopes
Suzuki’s Alex Rins says he was “destroyed” after a “not normal” drop in grip shuffled him from the lead of the MotoGP British Grand Prix to seventh by the end.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special