Alex Rins crashed out of his fourth MotoGP in a row on Sunday at Mugello and is more than a little mystified as to the cause.

The Spaniard had been riding comfortably with Ecstar Suzuki team-mate Joan Mir for most of the race but lost the front at turn 15 on lap 17 while Mir went on to bag a podium

"It’s difficult to say what happened, because I was riding well behind Joan and holding strong positions and making passes," said Rins.

"During the race I felt pretty good with the bike, but not quite the same feeling as during practices. I was struggling a bit with the front of the bike, and we need to analyse what happened because I can’t figure it out.

"It’s four DNFs for me in a row now, and that’s not normal, so we need to find out what’s going on, causing me to lose the front and crash out. Luckily I’m fine physically, but obviously I am feeling very disappointed."

Rins' hopes of the 2021 title have now evaporated as he is 82 points behind leader Fabio Quartararo.