Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro has been penalised for his altercation with rival Franco Morbidelli during Saturday MotoGP practice in Qatar. Just as Morbidelli gestured for Espargaro to calm down a few metres down the road, Espargaro gave the Italian a whack on the helmet - before quickly riding away from the scene. In any case, the stewards assessed Espargaro with a six-place grid penalty and a fine of 10,000 Euros for "behaving in an aggressive manner, including physically striking" Morbidelli. 😅#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/xhW8rcmW6Y — MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 17, 2023Bezzecchi did not speak to the written press after the race, while his adversary largely chose to laugh the incident off. 🚨#QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/3mtbW4cxsM — MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) November 18, 2023In addition to the penalty for the elder Espargaro, the MotoGP stewards also assessed a three-place grid penalty against LCR Honda stand-in Iker Lecuona.

Source: Punch November 19, 2023 14:49 UTC