Bengaluru, June 5: MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo has sprinkled yet more magic over the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona as he cruised to an inch-perfect victory in the Catalan Grand Prix, round nine of the 2022 FIM MotoGP World Championship, where a brain fade by pole-sitter Aleix Espargaro saw him miss out on a well-deserved podium.

The Frenchman put to bed the nightmare of 2021 by easing to his second premier class victory at the venue, cashing in on his closest 2022 FIM MotoGP Championship rivals' despair to extend out his title lead.

Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco completed the podium after benefitting from a blunder by Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) after the Spaniard celebrated a lap too early and threw away a secure second place.

Catalan GP: Aleix Espargaro breaks lap record, grabs pole

The Catalan GP had barely got underway when drama of the highest order struck at the first corner. Espargaro and Quartararo got away cleanly from the front row of the grid, with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) aiming to settle in to third spot.

Behind him, LCR Honda Idemitsu's Takaaki Nakagami was trying to edge past his sparring partner from one week ago, Alex Rins, before the Japanese rider's front-end folded and he wiped out the Team Suzuki Ecstar man.

Nakagami's head collided with the rear wheel of Bagnaia, which sent the Italian tumbling into the gravel trap as well. From the delight of Mugello to the despair of Catalunya, Bagnaia's title bid had taken a huge dent.

Italian GP: First win for Bagnaia, Quartararo extends championship lead

Quartararo avoided the chaos to hit the front and quickly began stretching out a lead. By the end of the opening lap, he was nearly a second clear of the rest - nobody was able to live with El Diablo.

Further back, Team Suzuki Ecstar's Mir had made a dynamite start to find himself inside the top five, making up a sensational twelve places. Three laps had ticked by when Espargaro's dream home win was pulled further from his grasp when Martin managed to squeeze his way through on the Aprilia man.

One lap was at Barcelona with Quartararo en route to a hugely important second win of the season. Then the camera panned to Espargaro slowing down on the run down to the first corner, with what seemed like a technical issue cruelly having robbed him of a home podium.

But then he began waving to the crowd, taking in the applause, and it was apparent the Aprilia man had made an unforgivable howler. As he celebrated one lap early, the Prima Pramac duo of Martin and Zarco flew past, then Mir and then Mooney VR46 Racing's Luca Marini before he realised his mistake.

CATALAN GP RESULTS (TOP 10)

1. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP)
2. Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) + 6.473
3. Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) + 8.385
4. Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) + 11.481
5. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing) + 14.395
6. Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Racing Team) + 15.430
7. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) + 15.975
8. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 21.436
9. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) + 26.800
10. Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) + 30.460

The MotoGP caravan now moves to the Sachsenring circuit in the Deutschland for the German GP on June 19. Bring it on!

(By a special arrangement with Dorna Sports)