Just one lap after Alex Rins had fallen from secon💎d place, MotoGP wo𒐪rld championship leader Johann Zarco saw his podium chances disappear into the Portimao gravel trap.

But while the Suzuki rider was a🐟t😼 a loss to understand why he had lost the front of his GSX-RR, as he shadowed race leader Fabio Quartararo, Zarco did at least get a clearer answer for his own downfall.

Pramac Ducati data showed Zarco had downshifted to first gear instead of second, possibly due to a technical glitch, with the resulting extra engine braking then overloading the🐎 front tyre.

"I bit disappointed for sure. Always easier to say it would be better to have a few points than a crash," said Zarco, leader of the opening laps and in third place, sandwiched between Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Joan Mir (Suzuki), while ༒he fell with five laps to go.

"I thought I did a little mistake when I crashed because I did a mistake on the shift down, but then I gಌot also a little issue with the gearbox in that moment. That🔯's why I got not the right gear.

"I just got first gear instead of second gear. Then, while braking with a lot of lean, I got a bit more engine brake and also because the front tyre was not pretty nice on the right side, it didn't suꩵpport this and immediately I was down.

"So that helped me not be too disappoi𓆏nted, to un💖derstand better why I crashed, and also I had to use a lot of energy to keep the pace today because of the front tyre.

"I've been pushing a lot and I think some tenths were missing today. I was not comfortable everywhere, so then you have to give a bit more energy to compensat🦩e and the race becomes more difficult.

"But even in that way, I waജs there♏, hoping to fight for the podium. That's positive.

"Always the advantage on the straight is pওretty important and I saw I could do a h🌌uge difference. I was enjoying using it! Then it was pretty good to see how Mir is riding after Rins and Fabio went away."

With fellow Frenchman Fabio Quartararo winning the race, Zarco w✃ould have lost the title lead even if he had stayed on track and taken his third second-place finish in a row (which eventually went to🦩 Bagnaia).

Instead, Zarco will go to Jerez having slipped🀅 to fourth in the standings, 21 points behind the Monster Yamaha of Quart🐷araro.