It was the worst situation envisaged, the one that Fabio Quartararo feared so much at the end of the season: abandonment.
And she knocked out the French world champion in Australia this Sunday.
The Yamaha rider suffered a crash with 17 laps to go in the event.
After losing the front of his bike, the Habs went to the mat before going to finish his race with his bike in the gravel.
Forced to throw in the towel in the Antipodes, Quartararo is no longer at the top of the MotoGP season standings, 14 points behind Francesco Bagnaia with three Grand Prix still to go.