Kickstarting with back-to-back races, the MotoGP paddock headed to the gorgeous Mugello circuit in the Tuscan mountains, giving us yet another nail-biting race filled with home glory, heartbreak, and, most importantly, action.

Let’s look at the winners and losers from round eight of the 2022 MotoGP season.

Race Winner: Pecco Bagnaia (Factory Ducati Team)

Making it a dream day for the Italian fans, local hero Pecco Bagnaia took the race win with the factory Ducati colors at the team’s home Grand Prix. It didn’t come easy, though, as Bagnaia failed to produce a solid start and had to slice through the field before taking the lead. However, this meant plenty of enjoyable overtakes, so we ain't complaining.

Other Winners: Fabio Quartararo (Factory Yamaha Team)

2021 MotoGP World Champion Fabio Quartararo was second behind Pecco, just six-tenths shy of the race win. We know Fabio on the podium is a frequent occurrence, but what makes this one special is that the Frenchman had to fight hard for it. Not to mention, Yamaha's MotoGP bike, the M1, is a lot slower than the other bikes in the straights, which only can only mean more credit to Fabio.

Marco Bezzecchi & Luca Marini (Mooney VR46 Ducati Team)

It was an epic day at the office for both Mooney VR46 Ducati team riders, Luca Marini and Marco Bezzecchi, as they both finished fourth and fifth, respectively.} Between the two, it was rookie Bezzecchi who impressed more, leading the race for several laps, that too with an impressive race pace, only to fade out, later on, thanks to his lack of experience. Nevertheless, it was a pretty solid weekend for both riders and we surely expect to see more of this in the future.

Biggest Loser: Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati Team)

After taking his third MotoGP win last time out, Bastianini was arguably one of the favorites coming into Mugello. However, things went totally the opposite way as the rider crashed out of the race suffering a rare DNF. Consequently, the Gresini rider has now slipped 28 points behind Quartararo.

Other Losers: Jack Miller (Factory Ducati Rider)

Mugello was a disaster for Jack Miller as he came home in only fifteenth place and was the slowest Ducati (if you discount test rider Michelle Pirro), which only adds to his misery. Judging from Ducati’s history, it seems almost certain that Miller’s factory seat is in danger now and it’s a matter of when, not if, we get official confirmation.

Joan Mir & Alex Rins (Factory Suzuki Team)

Following up on a dismal qualifying, both factory Suzuki riders crashed out of the race, same as the previous race. While it was a totally miserable day for Joan Mir, there was a glimmer of hope from Rins who made a good start but crashed out controversially, fighting against Nakagami. All in all, it was yet another weekend to forget for the factory Suzuki team who's bowing out of the paddock soon.

Special Mention: Marc Marquez

After Saturday’s qualifying, Marc Marquez announced he’ll be taking a sabbatical from racing to undergo a fourth surgery on his arm. We wish him all the best and hope he springs back to his winning ways very soon. Perhaps, even fight for the title in 2023.

MotoGP Championship Standings (After Round 8)

Pictures: [MotoGP

->https://www.motogp.com/en]