With ten laps left to run, the chasing pack had caught Dalla Porta and put him under pressure into Turns 11 and 12. Arbolino was able to get ahead but Dalla Porta looked to have him back at the Correntaio corner, almost hitting him, and running wide, losing four more positions. From leading to sixth, Dalla Porta’s hard work hadn’t paid off just yet. However, it was an incredible pass at the final corner from the Italian rider which saw him surge back into the lead.

The following laps ensued, and positions chopped and changed, with slipstreaming and late-braking meaning many riders dropped back before elevating back up the order. However, with the action heating up, mistakes happened, and crashes occurred.

The first notable crash was with five laps to go, when Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) and Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers) tangled at the final corner – two previous winners at Mugello down in the gravel. Then, half a lap later, Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia) and Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing) suffered a big crash on the exit of Turn 3. All riders were OK, with nothing but their championship hopes taking a blow.

In the closing laps, it really was a lottery. Jaume Masia had replaced Binder as the challenging KTM, whilst fellow KTM rider Aron Canet (Sterilgada Max Racing Team) was placed towards the rear end of the leading group of eight. One rider who had been steadily working away was Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), up from his 18th place grid start and, with the slipstreaming down the straight, often found himself a brief race leader. The Italian was positioned perfectly to fight for the last lap.