Marc Marquez can secure his eighth MotoGP title and 10th overall in the Portuguese Sprint after extending his championship lead to 60 points at the Qatar Grand Prix. The Ducati rider finished second behind Marco Bezzecchi at Lusail, while Jorge Martin came seventh to leave the Aprilia duo as Marquez’s only remaining title rivals.
With Portugal and Valencia still to come, the riders’ championship is close to being settled, but Ducati and Aprilia remain separated by just eight points in the constructors’ standings. Aprilia Racing are also within reach of the teams’ title, needing nine more points to guarantee the championship.
Here’s how things stand ahead of the penultimate Grand Prix, which fans can watch live on SPOTV NOW.
Riders’ championship: Marquez has room to spare
Marquez leads on 431 points, ahead of Martin on 371 and Bezzecchi on 357, with a maximum of 74 available across the final two weekends. Victory in the Portuguese Sprint would settle the title, as even second place for Martin would leave him 63 points behind with only 62 remaining.
Marquez does not need to win again, however, with 14 points across the remaining two Sprints and two Grands Prix enough to guarantee the championship. That would take him to 445 points, the most Martin can reach, with Marquez winning a tie through his superior number of Grand Prix victories. Collecting those 14 points at Portimao would secure the crown with a round to spare, while two seventh-place finishes in the remaining Grands Prix alone would give him 18.
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Martin needs to outscore Marquez by at least 61 points to overhaul him and must also finish ahead of Bezzecchi to become champion. Even four victories would require the Ducati rider to collect no more than 13 points. To take the fight to Valencia, Martin must gain at least 24 points on Marquez in Portugal, reducing the gap to 36 or fewer.
Bezzecchi’s route is narrower still, requiring victory in all four remaining races and no points for Marquez. That would leave both on 431 points, with Bezzecchi taking the title on eight Grand Prix wins to seven, while even four second places would leave Martin two points behind his teammate. A single point for Marquez would end Bezzecchi’s challenge.
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Constructors’ championship: Ducati and Aprilia remain close
Ducati lead Aprilia by 569 points to 561, with only the highest-placed rider from each manufacturer scoring in each race.
Ducati can settle the championship in Portugal by outscoring Aprilia by at least 30 points, creating a lead of 38 with only 37 available at Valencia.
Aprilia cannot build an unassailable points lead at Portimao, even if they take the maximum 37 points and Ducati score nothing.
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Teams’ championship: Aprilia near the finish line
Aprilia Racing lead the Ducati Lenovo Team by 728 points to 604, putting them 124 clear with a maximum of 132 still available. Unlike the constructors’ championship, both riders contribute to the teams’ standings, with one-two finishes worth 21 points in a Sprint and 45 in a Grand Prix.
Aprilia need just nine more points to guarantee the title, a target they could reach in the Portuguese Sprint.
Ducati must outscore Aprilia by at least 125 points to finish ahead outright, leaving them dependent on their rivals scoring seven or fewer even if they collect the maximum. Their task is complicated by Francesco Bagnaia’s injury at Lusail, where a Sprint crash left him with fractures to two bones in his right foot and may rule him out of the remainder of the season.
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