Honda has admitted that a misinterpretation of MotoGP rules was the reason Marc Marquez pitted too late during Sunday's Australian Grand Prix, a mistake that led to his disqualification.

Championship leader Marquez was black-flagged after completing 11 laps before making his mandatory mid-race bike switch, a rule enforced by race direction after over the durability of Bridgestone's rear tyre at Phillip Island.

The race had been shortened from 27 laps to 19, and the change of bikes - obligated in a dry race for the first time in the championship's history - had to be completed on lap nine or 10.

Honda believed he would be able to start the 11th lap because he would not technically have completed it when he came into the pits, but Marquez - whose championship lead has been slashed to 18 points after title rival Jorge Lorenzo's victory - admits they got it wrong.

"It was our first experience of a flag-to-flag race, and suffice to say it wasn't a good one," he said. "My team and I had set out a strategy and we thought that we could come in after lap 10, but in reality this counts as an extra lap.

"We hadn't had that in mind and this was a huge mistake. We had everything well planned and I followed the instructions on my pit board.

"You learn from these things though, so now we have to move on and focus on the race in Japan."