Aleix Espargaro has b🌸ecome the fourth MotoGP rider to undergo arm-pump surgery this season, going ahead with his planned operation on the♐ Monday following the French Grand Prix.

The Aprilia rider had been a🤪dvised to undertake surgery after suffering arm pump problems in the Jerez race.

That was t🐼he same event where Fabio Quartararo plummeted f💛rom the lead to 13th due to issue with his right forearm and underwent surgery shortly after.

Espargaro, who unlike Quartararo took part in the Jeဣrez test decided time was too short before Le Mans and so scheduled the 🐈operation for Monday.

The Spaniard didn't suffer any🔥 arm pump issues during the French GP, which came to a premature conclusion due to a technical problem, but felt ꧑he needed to follow the advice of the doctors and go ahead with the operation in order to avoid any issues at Aprilia's upcoming home Mugello round.

"No, I feel not🍸hing today," Espargaro had said of arm pump during the Le Mans race. "I'm a bit, not 100% convinced and a little bit angry to have to be operated on [Monday] because surgery is something serious.

"But I'm a little scared about Mugello and today we lost a lot of points, so in Mugello we have to recover these point𓆏s with a strong race. So if an operation is better than not, I will try. I don’t want to have doubts in Mugello."

As we🧔ll Espargaro and Quartaꦑraro, Ducati's Jack Miller and Tech3's Iker Lecuona have undergone arm pump surgery this season.

Espargaro remains seventh in the world championsꦿhip, ten places higher than he finished last season, despite his non-score in France – which o𝓀ccurred while he was on course to again match, and perhaps beat, the RS-GP's best MotoGP result of sixth.

"I'm very frustrated, more than ever because how difficult weekend at Le Mans had been," Espargaro said. "I had a very 𒁃tricky beginning of the weekend. Yesterday we had a problem with one engine and I crashed also twice. We started P13. The race was flag-to-flag, but I'm very proud about my level because in the dry I did a go꧂od start. I felt very strong in the dry sincerely.

"I told myself 'why I can't I be fast here, if I've been fast at other circuits?' so I started super, super convinced about myself and I felt very strong sincerely. Before the rain I was catching Marc and Nakagami, Rins was a little bit faster but alrea⛄dy P3 or P4. So I was very confident.

"Then when it started to rain I was very angry, I took the rain bik🍬e, I lost many positions in the first lap but then I started – I don’t know why! – to feel for the first time in many ꦇyears really fast in the wet!

"I started to overtake 💧Valentino, Lecuona, Petrucci, my brother, Vinales. Many riders in just two lap🅠s. So it's a very big shame to lose these points because today we could finish quite easy in the top 5-6.

"It was very important as many rivals from our 'zone' did mistakes, so we lost a big opportunity to leave Le Mans wit𓃲h close to 50 points which is a big and serious number."

Espargaro wouldn't be draw♈n on the e🌠xact nature of the technical problem, or if it was the same issue that forced team-mate Lorenzo Savadori out of the race with smoke billowing from his engine.