Bastianini battled back but it didn’t last long, with Fernandez finding a way back through. The pair’s squabbling over fourth saw them lose touch with Marini and Lowes ahead of them, who themselves had latched onto the rear tyre of Gardner. The pair made quick work of Gardner too, both slicing their way through in the space of a sector and suddenly, with eight laps completed, the top three in the World Championship were split by just five points. 15 laps left of Portimao and Fernandez was now causing problems for Gardner, who was starting to slip backwards. The Spaniard was fully committed as he dived through on the Australian to take third place. Another lap ticked by and another place was lost by Bastianini as Bezzecchi started to do some favours for his own teammate, Marini. The curly-haired Italian moved through into Turn 1 and Bastianini was demoted to sixth.

The Italian was starting to lose his cool and was clearly flustered with a mistake then allowing Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jorge Martin to squeeze through as well. The Italtrans man was down to seventh and the top three in the Championship were now even tighter, just three points split them in an unbelievably tense finale. He gathered his thoughts and found a response on Martin, though, getting himself back up to sixth and taking another vital point. Lowes suddenly was starting to make some mistakes as the brutal wrist injury he sustained at Valencia was surely now starting to take its toll. From being right on the rear wheel of Marini, he ran wide and allowed Gardner to pick his pocket and take second. Was this the beginning of the end of the brave Brit’s title challenge?

Eight to go and, from seemingly struggling, Gardner was now back in his groove and chasing down Marini at the front of the race. The Australian, gunning for a career-first intermediate class victory, was right on the tail of the Championship contender with only seven laps remaining after setting an incredible pace. Lowes was not out of it too, only half a second adrift of the leading duo, knowing that getting in front of the pair would hand him the Championship. Both Marini and Lowes’ hopes took a severe dent, however, when Bastianini was able to get himself back in front of Fernandez for fifth.