With Bagnaia and Martin’s failure to secure the coveted Q2 spots and Viñales’ near miss amidst the yellow flag controversy, Qatar GP has turned out to be more interesting than any thriller movie. In the latest development of the plot, the desert track has witnessed a punch and a six-place grid penalty.

Further, an unexpected drama unfolded between Aprillia Aleix Espargaro and Franco Morbidelli during a practice session. It resulted in more than just heated tempers as Espargaro delivered a punch on Morbidelli’s helmet resulting in a hefty fine. Nonetheless, this additional dose of controversy has resulted in motor racing fans staying glued to the event.  

Motor racing fans witnessed a hairpin clash on the tracks of Qatar GP

As the competition ran high through the motor racing tracks, the racer lost his cool amidst the pressing environment. The video clip of the moment has been shared from the official profile of MotoGP with the caption, “Tempers flared between @AleixEspargaro and @FrankyMorbido12 in FP2 earlier on!  The Spaniard has been fined and handed a 6-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race #QatarGP”. Even though, from the video the reason behind the clash remains unclear, it escalated at Turn 6 when Espargaro lunged down inside of Morbidelli.

As a result of this, both the racers made contact and ran wide. Visibly irritated by this action, the tense situation further escalated when Espargaro decided to deliver a punch to Morbidelli’s helmet. The racer was struck with a six-place grid penalty paired with a substantial fine of 10,000 Euros. It was attributed to Espargaro’s ‘aggressive manner, including physically striking’ Morbidelli. His behavior has been deemed as detrimental to the interest of the sport. 

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Penalty and fine, Steward’s verdict preserves the integrity of the motor race

Mario Meregalli, the Yamaha team manager expressed discontentment with Espargaro’s actions that transpired on the motor racing track. In an interview with MotoGP.com, Meregalli commented, “ It may be that Franco was in the wrong place, but for me, to punch people it’s not the right way to think, especially in our sport. If we have to show people how we should behave [i.e. serve as an example], this is not the way at all.”

Viñales’ Near Miss, Along With Bagnaia’s and Martin’s Failures to Secure Q2 Spots, Adds Drama to the Quirky Tale of Qatar MotoGP

Through this statement, he ensured to set forward the fact that regardless of on-track disputes, physical aggression is not an appropriate response from motor racers in a renowned platform like MotoGP. Closely observing the on-track scuffle, the stewards delivered a verdict deliberating Espargaro’s actions. 

The fans too showed their disappointment towards Esparago’s actions. One of the fans expressed his views stating, “Seems fair. But Bezzecchi should get half the same fine!!!”

The act has acquired Espargaro disrespect from his fans as one of them comments, “Not respect”

The composed reaction of Morbidelli has also been highlighted, “Frankie’s temper didn’t flare at all, quite the opposite”

As some of them expressed their intrigue behind the racer’s action, “He wasn’t even going to make the corner? I really like him but that’s ridiculous. What is he thinking?”

Another fan also condemned Espargaro’ behaviour stating, “this is unacceptable, start from behind is fair, anything could happen on the track so he need to manage his anger”.

The video posted on Twitter (now X) has gone viral with more than 376K views and 2.9K likes within a day.

The collision that materialized between Aleix Espargaro and Franco Morbidelli sheds light on the fine line between intense competition and unsportsmanlike conduct that exists in prestigious motor racing events like MotoGP. Even though the dust of this altercation will settle down very soon, as some other controversy will take its place, the steward’ decisive action has left an indelible mark on the racing narrative.  

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