The Frenchman, who crashed from the lead at Silverstone, repeated that position in qualify🎃ing before being pushed back to ninth on the opening lap of 𝓀the race.

Zarco’s recovery was then interrupted by a near-miss with ☂Enea Bastianini on lap 6, the Gresini rider losing front tyre pressure due to a damaged rim.

“I think on Sat🌠urday afternoon the others did a good step forward and for me it then became a bit more difficult,” said Zarco.

“Then,🌠 even if I missed a bit the start, it was not a drama, but the really key point came when I overtook Aleix [for fifth].

“I've been a bit unlucky 🔯because I was ready to come into the corner and just in that moment Enea got a technical problem and I almost hit him.

“💙I expected that he would come into the corner as normal and because he was kind of waiting, having this pr𝕴oblem, I almost hit him and had to go straight.”

Zarco: 'Just when I was feeling I could stay with Fabio...'

Although Zarco didn’t lose a lot of positions, he lost touch with countryman Fabio Quartararo, who would go on to claim second place behind Francesco Bagn𝓡aia.

“Just when I was feeling good an⛦d feeling that I could stay with Fabio, I went straight and from that moment it was quite hard,” said the Pramac Ducati rider.

“The front tyre was getting hot and then 𒉰it's moving. Then you do some mistakes and you feel that you cannot push much more. So I was kind of waiting, focused to do everything well and trying to cool down 🍃the front tyre.

“🐻It worked and at the end the speed was quite good, 🍰but only enough to save this fifth place, thanks to the [last lap] crash of Jorge.”

Zarco, 💯still chasing his first MotoGP victory after finishing runner-up ten times, ﷺis fourth in the world championship, between factory Ducati rider Bagnaia and Jack Miller.