Espargaro hit with Qatar MotoGP grid drop and fine after Morbidelli slap

In the early stages of Saturday morning’s third practice of the weekend (officially designated as FP2), Espargaro and Morbidelli came together on track.

Morbidelli had just passed the Aprilia at Turn 5 before Espargaro tried to do the same at Turn 6, with the pair connecting as they tried to turn in.

Both ran wide at Turn 6 before an irate Espargaro struck Morbidelli’s crash helmet as the Italian gesticulated to the Aprilia rider to calm down.

The incident was placed under investigation by the FIM MotoGP stewards, who have hit Espargaro with a €10,000 fine and a six-place grid drop for the grand prix for what it deemed was unSportsmanlike behaviour.

A statement from the stewards read: “On 18 November 2023 at 15:07.19, during Grand Prix of Qatar Free Practice 2 session, you were observed to have behaved in an aggressive manner including physically striking number 21 [Morbidelli].

“This contravenes Article 3.2.2.2 of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations [stating] 'any corrupt or fraudulent act, or any action of prejudicial to the interests of the meetings or of the sport, carried out by a person or a group of persons occurring during an event'.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

“It is therefore an infringement of the FIM Grand Prix World Championship Regulations, being detrimental to the interest of the sport.

“For the above reasons, the FIM MotoGP Stewards Panel has imposed a fine of 10,000 euros and 6 Grid Positions penalty for the MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar MotoGP Race (in accordance with articles 3.2.1 and 3.3.2.3.”

Espargaro’s grid penalty will apply only to Sunday’s grand prix and not Saturday evening’s sprint.

It will means he will drop from 10th on the grid to 16th, promoting Brad Binder, Augusto Fernandez, Marco Bezzecchi, Fabio Quartararo, Enea Bastianini and Jack Miller up a place.

LCR Honda’s Iker Lecuona has also been hit with a three-place grid penalty for impeding Bastianini during Q1 in qualifying on Saturday.

This will drop the Spaniard from 21st to last on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Abby Was Originally Going To Infiltrate The Dance In The Last Of Us Part 2

HBO's The Last Of Us has already been renewed for a second season. A given really considering how good it has been combined with there being a second Game . As for how The Last Of Us Part 2 will be reimagined for a different medium, perhaps the original way writers wanted to introduce Joel and Abby will be used for the show. If you haven't played the Game s, the rest of this article includes heavy spoilers regarding the ending of Part 1 and chunks of Part 2. You've been warned. Abby is a key character in the second Game . She first meets Joel when he saves her from a horde of infected. Abby soon realizes the man who saved her life previously killed her father. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY RELATED: The Last of Us Episode 3 Has Changed My View On The Game Forever That wasn't the original plan. Revealed via the official artbook for Part 2 (thanks, Naughty Dog Central), Abby's path to Joel was going to be far more meticulous. Abby was going to
Read more

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed, oil prices gain after armed rebellion quelled in Russia

Asian shares have fallen after a short-lived armed rebellion in Russia added to uncertainties over the war in Ukraine TOKYO -- Asian shares fell Monday after a short-lived armed rebellion in Russia added to uncertainties over the war in Ukraine. Benchmarks declined in Tokyo, Sydney Hong Kong and Shanghai, but rose in Seoul. The rebellion by mercenary soldiers who briefly took over a Russian Military headquarters on an ominous march toward Moscow was over. But the brief weakened President Vladimir Putin just as his forces were facing a fierce counteroffensive in Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner troops were some of Russia’s most effective fighters in Ukraine. Their aborted takeover of the capital also left their fate uncertain. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost nearly 0.3% to finish at 32,698.81. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.5% to 2,582.20. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.2% to 18,853.18, while the Shanghai Composite, reopening after a holiday, dropped 1.5% to 3,
Read more

Rasmus Hojlund teases Man Utd debut with latest injury update

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has given fans hope that his delayed debut following a big money transfer could be coming sooner rather than later. Hojlund completed a move from Atalanta at the start of August that could eventually reached £72m and was presented to the Old Trafford crowd on the pitch ahead of the pre-season win over Lens. But the Dane has yet been able to get on the pitch properly, forced to miss Monday night's 2023/24 season opener against Wolves won with a solitary Raphael Varane header. That is due to an injury he was already carrying from pre-season with his former club. United did not disclose the exact nature of the problem when the club addressed it, but described it as only "small" and placed a loose time frame of a "few weeks" on Hojlund’s recovery. The 20-year-old has teased that he might not be sidelined for too much longer, sharing a training image on his Instagram stories with both devil and 'soon' emojis. United
Read more