Aprilia MotoGP rider has been handed a six-place grid penalty for the German Grand Prix for “riding in an irresponsible manner”.
Espargaro was punished for baulking Marc Marquez during the latter’s hot lap at Turn 12 in the closing moments of Saturday morning’s third practice session at the Sachsenring.
It comes two races after he was handed a three-place penalty for a run-in with Jorge Lorenzo at Barcelona, with the sanction twice as severe this time around.
Espargaro, who qualified 13th, will therefore start Sunday’s race from 19th on the grid, having narrowly failed to advance from Q1 in the first part of qualifying.
“As far as the penalty is concerned, I am obviously not happy,” he said. “I don’t feel I made a mistake, I was off the line and for this I find the penalty exaggerated.
“In case of contact between riders we have seen penalties of three positions, as [was the case] yesterday in Moto2, and this is incredible.
“We will start a long way back on a circuit where it is not easy to recover positions. I will have to give it my all”.
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