The action of Aprilia racer Aleix Espargaro who hit Yamaha racer Franco Morbidelli in the head at FP2 MotoGP Qatar 2023 went viral on social media.
Aleix Espargaro immediately received sanctions in the form of a double penalty. First, he was fined 10,000 Euros or around Rp. 168 million.
Both Espargaros were punished with a reduction of 6 grid positions which applies to the sprint race and the race on Sunday, 19 November 2023.
In an official statement released, the FIM Steward stated that Espargaro violated the article which caused this prestigious world championship to be tarnished due to the racer’s attitude .
FIM Steward said Aleix Espargaro was very aggressive and physically attacked Franco Morbidelli.
In the video broadcast circulating, Espargaro and Morbidelli were involved in fierce competition in free practice 2 (FP2). The short distance made the atmosphere heated, resulting in several bumps.
Morbidelli is considered to be disrupting Espargaro’s progress. However, the Aprilia racer responded very emotionally which ended up hitting Morbidelli on the head.
Meanwhile, this Yamaha racer, realizing his mistake, tried to get closer and made a waving gesture as a form of apology.
After the incident, Morbidelli uploaded a story on his Instagram with a picture of a clown and vomiting emoji. As if to describe Espargaro’s attitude towards him.