An on-track tangle between Aleix Espargaro and Franco Morbidelli quickly escalated during Saturday practice at the Qatar MotoGP.
Just as in the incident between Aleix’s brother Pol and Marco Bezzecchi on Friday, the pair found themselves aiming for the same piece of asphalt, but this time with clear contact between the factory Aprilia and Yamaha riders.
Replays showed Morbidelli put a close pass on Espargaro, who then launched his Aprilia up the inside of Morbidelli at the next corner, causing the pair to bang fairings and run wide.
Espargaro was clearly furious (suggesting something may have happened off camera before the passes) but when Morbidelli then pulled alongside and made a ‘calm down’ gesture, the Spaniard responded by slapping the Italian’s helmet with his left hand.
Unlike yesterday’s incident between Pol and Bezzecchi, which saw the Italian bump the GASGAS rider’s rear wheel six times in the practice start zone, the Aleix-Morbidelli incident is now under investigation by the FIM Stewards…
Keyword: Qatar MotoGP: Aleix Espargaro slaps Franco Morbidelli in Saturday practice