Aleix: ‘Aprilia need to solve it, Raul had the same problem’

Unlike team-mate Maverick Vinales, Espargaro got a strong start and was battling for third into the turn one hairpin.

But his race was doomed when the ride-height device on his factory Aprilia failed to unlock.

The Spaniard continued to Turn 11, when the lack of front-end weight saw him slide into retirement.

• Bagnaia: ‘Very angry, 100% it wasn’t my fault’
• Alex Marquez’s knee ‘trapped between the bikes’, Martin ‘sorry’
• Americas MotoGP: New World Championship standings

“I did a good start, I was P3 in Turn 1, and when I accelerated I felt that the rear ride-height device stayed low,” Espargaro explained.

“I did all the first part of the track with the ride-height device low, and when I touched the throttle in Turn 12 with the bike low, I lost the front.

“Nothing more I can say. It looks like Raul had the same problem today.”

Fernandez would only say he had suffered a ”mechanical problem” but the TV images seemed to confirm a ride-height issue.

Espargaro added: “They [Aprilia] need to solve it. It's not the first time it happened to us… Normally it happens when it's super hot, but yesterday it didn't happen, so we are not in control of when and how.”

The end result was that Espargaro, who only lost out on a Sprint rostrum when Jorge Martin successfully retaliated against his last-lap pass, felt a podium finish at his most difficult track had frustratingly slipped away.

“If the crash had happened on a different track, I won’t say that I would have been less angry, but it clearly would have been special for me to take a spot on the podium here that was well within our potential,” Espargaro said.

“After all the difficulties that we have always found at COTA, this weekend I demonstrated surprising potential.”

The Spaniard now heads for the first of his home rounds, at Jerez, just eleventh in the world championship.

“This season’s start has been disappointing, especially because I’m certain that I’m riding better than last year, but for one reason or another, we are not taking home the results we deserve,” he said.

“Hopefully, we’ll reverse this trend as early as Jerez because our potential is clear.”

Vinales fought back to fourth place after dropping to tenth on the opening lap.