McPhee and Gresini driver Alcoba belonged to the manic top group at the thrilling Moto3 encounter on Sunday in Qatar.
Alcoba ran into McPhee’s teammate Darryn Binder’s back at Turn 1 at the start of lap 15 and crashed while his misdirected Gresini motorcycle drove into McPhee’s path and hit the Scotsman in the head.
After he was wiped out by another driver in the second race in a row, an angry McPhee hit Alcoba in the gravel, with the Gresini driver also reciprocating.
Both were fined 1000 euros for their behavior and will start the Portuguese GP from the pit lane. Alcoba is released five seconds after the rest of the pack, with McPhee being forced to wait 10 seconds before setting off.
McPhee accepts his punishment and says his reaction is “atypical”.
In a statement released Monday evening, McPhee said: “I got overwhelmed by my emotions in Qatar after being banned for the second week in a row due to an error by another driver.
“I apologize for my behavior – I did not respond well to the incident.
John Mcphee, Petronas Sprinta Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“It’s an adrenaline-fueled sport with obvious dangers; When a competitor’s bike hit me on the head, it triggered an unusual reaction and I would like to apologize to the fans, my team, Petronas and our partners.
“I accept the sentence and will go to Portimao with concentration.”
McPhee, one of the favorites of the World Cup preseason, leaves Qatar without a single point after Leopard’s Xavi Artigas triggered a multi-rider shunt – which included McPhee – at the Qatar GP.
The Doha GP on Sunday was won by 16-year-old rookie Pedro Acosta, who clinched a sensational first victory in the first lap after a pit start nine seconds behind first place in the pit lane.
The Ajo KTM rider is now leading the Moto3 standings nine points ahead of Binder, while Acosta’s team-mate and Qatar GP winner Jaume Masia is third, 13 points behind.
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