Moto3: Fenati apologises for Ajo attack

Romano Fenati apologised to Niklas Ajo and his own VR46 Moto3 team after a costly meltdown in morning warm-up in Argentina.

The Italian first kicked out at the Finn then, still furious at the end of the session, switched Ajo's bike off as he prepared to make a practice start.

Race Direction unsurprisingly punished Fenati, imposing three penalty points, which meant a back of the grid start.

Fortunately Fenati helped put the controversy behind him with a strong ride to eighth.

"It was a great race with an enthralling comeback. Unfortunately I made a mistake during the warm-up, I admit I went a bit too far and I am sorry about it," Fenati said in a VR46 statement.

"First of all I would like to apologise to Ajo and his team. But I also apologise to my team that has worked well all the weekend long and certainly did not deserve to get away from the last spot.

"We will also try to improve at psychological level to check impulsiveness. It was a false step we paid dearly, but the bike was okay and I managed to push hard and fight back and I am very happy about it. We have a good basis on which to build on ahead of Jerez."

Team manager and former racer Pablo Neito added: "First of all we have to apologize to Niklas, incidents like this should never happen, not even when there is so much adrenaline involved. We made a mistake, but the most important thing is that Romano acknowledged it by apologising.

"Nonetheless, it was a great race as Romano started last but was able to finish in the top 10. I congratulate him, even if I am sorry about what happened in the warm-up, as if we had started from the third row we might have got farther ahead."

The reason for Fenati's rage remains something of a mystery, with Ajo claiming not to know.