* Rookie

A fas⛄t-starting Fabio Quartararo blasted clear for victory at the Catalunya MotoGP, increasing his title lead with a second win of the season.

But a big mistake by local star Aleixܫ Espargaro saw the Aprilia rider lose second place after thinkin𓄧g the race was over one-lap early!

Backing off and wa💟ving to the fans into Turn 1 as the last lap began, Espargaro dropped to fifth by the time he realised his huge error.

Espargaro stopped with his head in his hands after finally takꩲing the 🐬chequered flag and was inconsolable after returning to the pits. 

It's not the first time such a mistake has 𝓀been made at Barcelona, usually due to a rider watching the timing tower rather than loꦕoking at their own pit board.

That incident promoted Jorge Martin, Johann Zarco and Joan Mir to second, 🐠;t🎀hird and fourth.

There was early disaster for Muge♚llo winner Francesco Bagnaia, who joined Alex Rins in being taken out at Turn 1 of the race after Takaaki Nakagami lost the front of his LCR Honda under braking.

After sliding down the track, Nakagami's head hit and then became tangled in Bagnaia's rear wheel♔, ripping off his visor and bringing down the Ducati star.

Rins was then side-swiped by the Japanese r♍ider's bike. It was the sec♋ond time in a week Rins and Nakagami had tangled.

All were fortunately reported to have escaped serious injury, although Rins appeared to have a sore wrist꧅ and Nakagami was sent for medical checks in a local hospital. 

Bagnaia briefly rej༺oine෴d a distant last before retiring for the third time this season.

As he had forecast, warm-up leader&ꩵnbsp;Maverick Vinales gambled on the soft rear tyre from his eighth place on the grid, with Alex Marquez (starting last after missing qualifying due to a fast practice fall) the only other rওider not to choose the medium or hard. 

All except ꦇthe KTM chose the medium front, with the RC16ওs on the hard.

Home star Espargaro came into💮 the race having topped FP2, FP3, ༺FP4 and Qualifying, before a fall on his way to fourth in warm-up.

Joined on the front row by Ducati's Bagnaia and🉐 world champion Quartararo, Espargaro came under attack from Quartararo into turn one at the start of the race, while Bagnaia was eliminated just behind them.

The Yamaha rider immediately&꧃nbsp;set a high pac🤡e, while Espargaro lost another position to Jorge Martin.

Quartararo had pulled 3.4s clear by the time Espa🍰rgaro retook second place from Martin, wi෴th 15 laps to go.

Tyre consumption was expected to be a major issue but Quartararo showed no signs of weakness, eventually increasing his lead to over 🎃5-seconds while Espargaro had his hands full trying to keep Martin and Pram💦ac Ducati team-mate Zarco at bay.

Martin, who will👍 undergo hand surgery after this race, repassed Espargaro with nine laps to go and the trio remained locked togeth💜er, Espargaro making yet another pass on Martin with 4 laps to go and looked to have second place in the bag...

Joan Mir sa✃lvaged fourth from 17th on the grid to mark Suzuki's first race finish since the post-Jerez announcement that the factory will quit MotoGP at the end of this season.

Luca Marini was sixth for VR4♛6 Ducati, with Vinales seventh on the soft rear, ahead of KTM team-mates Br♌ad Binder and Miguel Oliveira.

Alex Marquez produced an excellent ride from last to tenth, while rookies Remy Gardner,🌱 Darryn Binder and Raul Fernandez all scored points - Fernandez for the first time in the premier-class.

Already reeling from Bagnaia's DNF, wo🐼rse was to follow for Ducati when Marco Bezzecchi, triple 2022 winner Enea Bastianini (seventh place) and then Gresini team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio all crashed out before the midway stage.

Stefan Bradl and Andrea Dovizios♊o also joined the DNF☂ list.

Marc Marquez was absent after electing to undergo a fourth operation on his right arm. The recovering eight-time world champion is being replaced by HRC test rider Stefan Bradl.

An ඣofficial post-race test will be held at the Barcelona circuiไt on Monday. Jorge Martin will miss the test and undergo surgery to treat nerve problems in his right hand.