Reigning MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez has not discounted fellow Spaniard Maverick Vinales from the 2017 title fight as the gap from first to third is still ‘not far enough’.

There are 75 points left on the championship table with Vinales 41 points in arrears before the lights go out at Phillip Island on Sunday. It would take a disasters for both Marquez and Dovizoso in order for that gap to close but as we saw at Brands Hatch, 32 points can vanish very quickly.

“Dovi of course is the most dangerous one. But still half an eye is looking at Vinales because he is far behind but not far enough,” said Marquez, speaking at Phillip Island.

"We need to control more Dovi but look at the strategy. If we take one more point, we will try.

“We will see after qualifying if we can fight for victory or if it’s better to think about the championship. The approach is much different to last year. We will try to compensate our level with the risk, because it’s important to manage well.”