Johann Zarco was not the only rider adaman🐲t that unusual tyre performance thwarted his hopes in the season-opening Qaඣtar MotoGP.

Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa bolted from the second row to﷽ hold third in the early stages, despite being one o♍f the few to select the very hardest front tyre.

"It was crucial for me to start the race in the front," Pedrosa said. "I did a good start, wi🀅th good determination, attitude and decisions in the first corner - even though I had to ౠtake care with the hard front tyre."

But the left side of his soft rear tyre was soon spinning strangely, with the right side also losing grip shortly after. All 22-riders wer🃏e racing the same soft rear tyre.

"Unfortunately the rear was spinning a lot. I couldn't really do better, I was losing a lot in Corner 3, the long left and some 𒁏other corners in Sector 4. Everybody was getti🥃ng by me, it was difficult and then I understood something was not perfect.

"The left side was🍸 [spinning] at the beginning already and on the right side it came a bit later."

🌃Pedrosa💧 dropped from third to eighth in the space of two laps, gained a position when Alex Rins crashed in the middle stages and spent the rest of the race battling with Danilo Petrucci and Maverick Vinales.

Both got past the RCV rider, but Pedrosa was able to reclaim seventh position by ov🗹ertaking fading race leader Zarco - struggling with his front tyre - on the penultimꦺate lap.

"It was lucky that I had the hard front, so I could push the front tyre to kee🦂p the pace [after the rear star♎ted to spin].

"But, you know, unfortunately the firs🔜t tyre in qualifying was not as good aಞnd then the second tyre was much better. And now again in the race, unfortunately.

"For example, I was faster in warm-up with the used tyre from yesterday t𒊎han in the race.

"But you cannot easily control these things, so…

"The pity is that this rac𓄧e was important because it is the first race of the season, you want to start well, and with so many riders having a good🌌 pace I lost many positions.

"But I was feeling confident ❀and I'm convinced I was able to fight f♊or the podium, but now we have to look for the next race."

Team-mate Marc Marquez,𒀰 also running t♉he hard-soft tyre combination, finished runner-up to Andrea Dovizioso after a last corner showdown.

While reigning four-time w💞orld champion Marquez has already re-signed with Honda until the end of 2020, Pedrosa's future remains undecided.

There is debate about whether the Zarco-to-Repsol discussions are to try⛦ and reduce Pedrosa's fee, helping to balance the books after HRC upped Marquez's wages, while also 🎃increasing Zarco's offers from other manufacturers.

However, if the Frenchman does indeed choose to become a number two at Honda rather than a number 🍷one at KTM (or Suzuki), Pedrosa's 13-years and 31 wins in the premier-class are likely to be welcomed by the manufacturers' Zarco turns down.

It's possible KTM could sign them both, but factories usually prefer to retain one rider for continuity and KTM boss Stefan Pierer has previously indicated they 'intend' 🌼to keep Pol Espargaro.

At least one of KTM's Moto2 stars - Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder - is expected to join the new satellite Tech3 project, with Zarco's team-mate Hafizh Syahrin having aಞ fighting chance to stay at the team in the second seat.