The Aprilia rider set what would be the second fastest lap of the race, on lap 8 oᩚ𓄧ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚf 27, despite still in tyre-saving mode and held a close sixth place during the middle stages.

But when the time came to push in the crucial closing laps, Espargaro was held back by excessive traction control. Switching maps had no impact🔴 and he faded to a frustrated ninth, 4.5s from race winner Alex Rins.

“I was fast. I did the second-fastest lap of the race. But in the lasꦅt eight laps the bike didn✃'t accelerate,” Espargaro explained.

“I had a lot of 𒈔traction control, the bike was cutting a lot of power for some reason and didn't go forward.

“I changed🐼 the maps, I trꦉied everything, but it was very frustrating because there was nothing I could do.”

Espargarᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚo added: “Yesterday, withꦡ the [data] from Michelin, I think I was the second [best] rider for the least tyre [consumption] in FP4.

“I tried from the beginning of the race to save some tyre, braking more aggressive to use more ൲the front [than the r🐟ear]. But I don't know what happened at the end.

“I was very, very angry, frustrated because I ha🅺d the speed🤪 to fight for victory today.

“The rꦚace at the beginning was quite slow. It was quite easy for me to stay in the group. But then in the last part, the others dropped 4-5 tenths and we dropped maybe 1.2-1.3s.

“I was very angry inside of the helmet becaus🌺e there was nothing I could do."

Team-mate Maverick Vinales dropped from 11th to 17th in the closing st🃏ages and ended up "slower than the M🀅oto2 guys".

"I think Maverick had exa🧔ctly the same problem as me,” Espargaro said.

Espargaro: ‘We are not at the level to fight for this title’

The electronic issue came directly after the ‘eco-mode’ mistake on the grid at Mot𓂃e𒈔gi and a lack of pace on the special harder construction tyres throughout the Buriram weekend.

“I think that on the last three races we prove that we are n♒ot together as a te♉am,” Espargaro said. “We are not at the level to fight for this title.

“We conceded🍸 many, many points, because in the last three races we scored just [5 and 7] pointsౠ [out of a possible 75] which is ridiculous if you want to fight for the title. This is the problem.”

While Espargaro’s 12 points (including one non-score) from the last three rounds is a miserable 🔯tally for a title contender, reigning champion Qu𝓀artararo has managed just 8 (two non-scores) and even Bagnaia only 32 (one non-score).

“We made many mistakes in the last three races. And it's a shame today again,"♑ Esparg𝓰aro continued,

“I said many times, the most difficult thing [in MotoGP] is to have the speed to be fast. I had it. I did a good start. I overtook Fabio in corner two. I knew I had to be agꦬgressive today and I was in the leading group, just waiting, waiting, waiting, but then nothing I could do at the end.

“It’s frustrating after the hard job we did in the first 70% of the championship, to fin🐟ish outside of the top five in these last three races. It hurts me.

“[Th𝄹e title] is still possible. I'm really proud abo🥃ut my championship. I mean, two races to go and Aleix and Aprilia are still in the game for the title.

“But with Pecco and Ducati’s form and a one-race advantage against me, it's going to b♏e very tricky.”

While Espargaro lost big points to Bagnaia in Australia,🌱 Quartararo’s crash means the Yamaha rider is now a reduced 13 points ahead of him, in second place.

‘3-4 months ago everybody said Aprilia was at the level of Ducati’

Having only claimed one podium before this year, the RS-GP's title challenge has been the surprise of the season. But Espargaro feels the flꦡyaway races have underlined the supremacy of Ducati.

“It's funny because not t♓oo long ago, 3-4 months ago, everybody was saying that the Aprilia was the ‘new Ferrari’. And I knew the bike that I have. It’s a good bike, we improved the bike a lot, but it's not at the level of the best bike on the grid at all.

✅“They [Ducati] made many mistakes in the beginning of the year and the🍸y paid for it, but today the result of the Ducatis - I don't want to use any names, but it's ridiculous. Doesn't matter who rides this bike, they are in the top six.”

Bagnaia, who at one stage was 91 points behind Quartararo, has taken four winsꦯ and seven podium🐻s from the last eight events.

Quartararo and Espargaro have taken just one podium ཧeach♉ during the same period.