‘El Diablo’ already had a mammoth task on his hands in trying to keep pace with an army of Ducatis from fourth on the grid, but a manic opening lap saw Quartararo drop down the pecking order and out of the points altogether, a position from which he never recovered, eventually taking the chequered flag in P17 to record a Buriram blank. To make matters worse, his advantage atop the standings has been decimated as Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) took advantage and battled his way to a podium finish, his eighth of the season. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) profited also despite not being at his best, clawing back five points to sit just 20 behind.