Having obliterated the lap record at Silverstone on his way to pole for the British GP, Prima Pramac’s Johann Zarco looked to be the one to beat on race day. That was until he crashed out of the lead at turn eight on just the fifth lap.

“No chance for me today,” the frustrated Frenchman said after the dust had settled. “The warm temperature pushed me to take this medium front, that was a good tyre anyway because Pecco [Bagnaia] won on it but it seemed for me has been the reason of the crash. Always a bit less grip with this tyre but I was too much worried to go with the soft one and to not finish the race on a good pace. Overall because I knew that I can keep a good pace for all the race, the medium one, I know it pretty well so that's why I was quite confident and the first laps were pretty good. But I've been surprised in that turn eight.

“Clearly, I'm disappointed. It's pretty hard to put all the things together to get the victory.

"I hope I will be in good form again in Austria,” he continued, after missing out on his maiden premier class win once more. “Because what I could feel during this weekend and even during the race, helped me to grow up on the Ducati and get even more feeling as I want. So the most positive of today is that this feeling that I could take during the race and understand even more this tyre that sometimes seems a tricky choice because for nothing you can be hero or zero. So that's kind of hard. I hope Austria would be good again for me.

“A little bit, yes, but I was thinking that more laps we gonna do, better is going to be,” he said when questioned on warning signs the tyre was on the edge heading into the crash. "The first two laps were quite fast then I slowed down a bit the third lap but I could feel well the things and find my pace. But as I say I've been surprised because I came in that corner much faster during the practice and staying on the bike and that time I could not stay on.”

Despite the crash, and lack of points as the second half of the season fires up, the Frenchman remained upbeat about his performance over the UK weekend.

“Was important to have a good start and lead the race,” Zarco confirmed. “So even this have been surprised, to stay first at the first corner. No one was attacking me too much. So was nice to lead the race. The first thought are this sadness to miss this chance but then I cannot stay on it. So that's why I look forward to be in Austria.”