Moto GP rider Aleix Espargaró stops a lap early and loses a place on the podium in Catalunya

Moto GP rider Aleix Espargaró was in tears as he threw away a place on the podium at the Catalan Grand Prix – after stopping early thinking the race had finished.

The 32-year-old racer was in second place when he sat upright and began waving to fans in the crowd, leaving the commentators and his Aprilia team in the pits in disbelief.

The Spaniard quickly realised his mistake but unfortunately he’d already dropped down to fifth and out of a podium position.

Aleix Espargaró threw away a top three finish after thinking the race had already ended

The BT Sport commentary team initially presumed there was a technical error for Espargaró’s stop, as Prima Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin overtook the Spaniard with ease on the final lap.

The Aprilia rider began waving to the crowd before spotting other riders flying past him and quickly re-joining the race in fifth position. 

His team down in the pits were seen with their hands on their heads, before Espargaró was shown in tears back in his box after coming to terms with his mistake.

Espargaró was in tears after losing out on a place on the podium at the Catalan GP

Speaking to BT after the race, Espargaró took ownership over the blunder and said he needs to watch his ‘people, not the tower’ in future.

The Aprilia rider said: ‘It was my fault, I did a big mistake. The first thing is to say sorry to my team. 

‘I had no time to see the lap and so I watched the tower. It was my mistake. I have to watch my people, not the tower.’

Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo cruised to an inch-perfect victory in the Catalan Grand Prix with Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco completing the podium. 

Espargaró was in second place when he began waving to fans in the crowd in Spain