Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) may remain in the World Championship fight, but he faces an uphill battle at the Portuguese GP. He sits 60 points adrift of Championship leader Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), with just 74 points left on the table this season. Now, as the fight for the next 37 points is ready to commence, we look at what Martin needs to do in Portugal!
What needs to happen for Martin?
In simple terms, Martin needs to outscore Marc Marquez by 24 points over the course of the Portuguese GP weekend. It’s going to be an important Saturday afternoon, where the first 12 Sprint points are on offer. Should Martin win Saturday’s Sprint, he would remain in title contention. If Marquez finished behind the #89 in P2, the gap would be reduced to 57 points, leading to a crucial Sunday.
A second-place Sprint finish would also be enough for Martin to carry the fight into Sunday, provided Marc Marquez finishes P3 or lower. Alternatively, if the #89 were to finish third, he would need the #93 to finish P4 or lower. Anything P4 or lower for Martin would require Marc Marquez to score no more than one point more than the #89 – keeping the gap 61 points or less.
Sunday’s scenario
If Martin were to keep the Championship gap to 61 points or less, he would still have work to do on Sunday. The #89 would need to leave Portugal no more than 36 points behind Marc Marquez to take the title fight to Valencia. Countback isn’t an option for Martin either, having one Grand Prix victory this season compared to Marc Marquez’ seven.
And that’s how things look for Martin. Can he take the title fight to the season finale in Valencia? Join us for Round 21 of the season on motogp.com!