Biggest Winner: Fabio Quartararo
Proving just why he’s the reigning world champion, Fabio Quartararo took a monumental win at Montmelo. The factory Yamaha rider didn’t put a foot wrong and led from start to finish, not giving his rivals any chance to hamper his rhythm. post win, Quartararo now leads the championship by a near-commanding 22-point.
Other Winners: Jorge Martin & Johann Zarco
Both Pramac Ducati riders rounded off the podium spots, with Martin in second and Zarco in a gifted third. While it was a strong race for both riders, it was a much-needed podium return for Jorge Martin, who’s right on the cusp of getting promoted to the factory Ducati team.
We’d also like to give a special mention to Joan Mir. The factory Suzuki rider turned around his fortunes brilliantly to finish in fourth, having started way down in seventeenth place.
Biggest Loser: Pecco Bagnaia
Catalunya was a disaster for Pecco Bagnaia. What started off as a strong weekend became better with a front row in qualifying but sadly ended with a disheartening first-corner crash in the race, through no fault of his own.
The factory Ducati rider was struck by a desperate Taka Nakagami who crashed and took down both Pecco Bagnaia and Alex Rins in the process. Thanks to this blow, Pecco has slipped to fifth place in the championship, 66 points behind Fabio.
Other Losers: Enea Bastianini & Aleix Espargaro
Remember what we said in the beginning? Well, that was because both Enea Bastianini and Aleix Espargaro (P3 and P2 in the championship) surrendered big points against Fabio, thanks to their respective blunders.
While the Gresini rider hit the floor to add another DNF to his name, it was Aleix who made headlines with a HUGE mistake. The factory Aprilia rider miscounted the laps and started celebrating on the penultimate lap, only to realize that there was one more lap to go.
Owing to this, Martin, Zarco, and Mir passed Aleix, leaving the factory Aprilia rider in fifth place instead of a well-deserved second place. Ultimately, Aleix lost fourteen points to Fabio while Bastianini lost a full twenty-five, which seems like handing the title on a silver platter.
All in all, it was yet another action-packed, drama-filled MotoGP race. Next, the paddock now heads to Sachsenring, Germany, a place where the recovering Marc Marquez will be missed more than ever.
Oh, and in case you missed the previous race, head here to get a lowdown on round eight of the 2022 MotoGP world championship.
| 1 | Fabio Quartararo | 147 | |
| 2 | Alex Espargaro | 125 | (-22) |
| 3 | Enea Bastianini | 94 | (-53) |
| 4 | Johann Zarco | 91 | (-56) |
| 5 | Francesco Bagnaia | 81 | (-66) |
| 6 | Brad Binder | 73 | (-74) |
| 7 | Alex Rins | 69 | (-78) |
| 8th | Joan Mir | 69 | (-78) |
| 9 | Jack Miller | 65 | (-82) |
| 10 | Marc Marquez | 60 | (-87) |
| 11 | Miguel Oliveira | 57 | (-90) |
| 12 | Jorge Martin | 51 | (-96) |
| 13 | Maverick Vinales | 46 | (-101) |
| 14 | Luca Marini | 41 | (-106) |
| 15 | Pol Espargaro | 40 | (-107) |
| 16 | Takaaki Nakagami | 38 | (-109) |
| 17 | Marco Bezzecchi | 30 | (-117) |
| 18 | Alex Marquez | 26 | (-121) |
| 19 | Franco Morbidelli | 22 | (-125) |
| 20 | Darryn Binder | 10 | (-137) |
| 21 | Fabio di Giannantonio | 8th | (-139) |
| 22 | Andrea Dovizioso | 8th | (-139) |
| 23 | Remy Gardner | 8th | (-139) |
| 24 | Raúl Fernández | 1 | (-146) |