‘What is this guy doing?’ - Espargaro, Morbidelli disagree over penalty

The long laps were for riding slowly on the racing line in free practice, holding up Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez, while the time penalty was punishment for a last-lap clash with Aleix Espargaro.

The pair were battling over tenth place when Morbidelli dived for the inside at Turn 14. Contact followed and, after an investigation by the FIM Steards, Morbidelli was given the post-race time penalty to drop him back behind Espargaro in eleventh.

It wasn’t the first time Espargaro and Morbidelli have made contact in recent events and the Aprilia rider said:

“I don't know what this guy is doing this year. I don't understand if he's here or in another planet, his head. They give him almost every GP some sanction, but he keeps doing stupid things.

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“He hit me two times in Thailand when we were eleventh! I didn't understand. And today he hit me super hard, I don't know why I don't crash, for tenth place.

“They gave him 3 seconds, which I think is good because they give me back 1 important point. But I think [he] needs to start last or from the pit lane. They keep giving him sanctions, but he doesn’t improve.”

But Morbidelli, who accepted the long lap penalties as a fair punishment, felt the wrong call had been made by the FIM Stewards over the Espargaro incident.

“I hope that this overtake… will be shown a lot on social media and TV, to see how much of a mistake Race Direction [FIM Stewards] did today on that decision,” said the Monster Yamaha rider.

“They're humans, and humans can make mistakes. But it will be important to discuss well the way of judgement of these episodes. It will be important to sit down all together and rediscuss, revise the way we are being judged.

“There is something that is not quite working here.”

Echoing the words of Pol Espargaro, given a grid penalty for re-joining the track in a dangerous way in practice, the Italian feels the point of view of the rider should be taken more into account.

“I think it's time to sit down and really talk openly about what is going on,” Morbidelli said. “Even if they're making the right decision, like they did yesterday [with the long laps], there's not really a dialogue between you and the Stewards Panel.

“I believe that these people are under huge pressure, and I feel that these people are overwhelmed by this kind of pressure, comments on social media, comments on television. This is how the world goes right now.

“But I feel that the people that should judge us, should regulate us, and protect us, but anyway, protect the audience and keep the show alive, I believe that they're not balancing these things quite in the right way.

“There will have to be some discussion and dialogue to correct this mechanism. Because this mechanism should be balanced between safety of the riders and show. Safety and care of the audience. And for the care of the riders.

“Because if I cannot make an overtake in the second-last corner, where there is a shitload of space like that, and I have a bike that I cannot overtake in the straight. I mean, you're not even caring about me, we are just riding in lines, you know?

“So I feel that this mechanism is not working quite right.”

Earlier in the weekend Pol Espargaro, who caused Johann Zarco to take evasive action as he re-joined the track, prompting his penalty, had said:

“It’s the same as always, you explain to [the Stewards and] the good thing would be for them to say, ‘OK we will go to this place to see if what you are saying is true’ - if the green area is finishing [suddenly]… They don’t do that.

“You go out of the room and 30 seconds after they tell you are penalised. They explain after and say it is a bad way to rejoin the track, but ‘do you hear what I am saying or am I talking to the wall?’ It is what it is…

“They are not on a MotoGP bike at this speed. Listen a little bit more to the riders when we have things to say. It’s a complaint we all make in the Safety Commission but they don’t hear us.”

Morbidelli: Top 5 possible without penalties

The penalties for Morbidelli overshadowed what was otherwise his best weekend of the season.

The Italian qualified a season-best seventh and rode shotgun behind title fighting team-mate Fabio Quartararo before serving the long laps.

“Franky rode a really impressive race. He helped Fabio in the opening laps to keep the Suzukis behind him for as long as possible before he had to do the long-lap penalties,” confirmed Monster Yamaha team director Massimo Meregalli.

Morbidelli, who hasn’t finished in the top ten in the dry this season, feels Sepang would easily have been his best result of the year without the penalties.

“It's difficult to say, but I think top five would have been achievable today,” he said.

“I'm happy about the pace we had. Actually all weekend. I'm happy about the start we got.

“But the long lap area was very dirty, I don’t know if this upset the bike but after the two long laps, something changed with the grip.”

Nonetheless, Morbidelli fought back from 15th to 10th at the flag.

“The pace was good enough to get back with the group that was fighting for the top ten, or even better. And then I had another penalty for a normal last-lap overtake.

“But good race. I'm really pleased.”