MotoGP Portugal 2026: Márquez has the match point for the World Championship

The Qatar trip left Marc Márquez in full control of the World Championship. After second place at Losail, the Spaniard from Ducati leads the standings with 431 points; Jorge Martín, seventh in Qatar, has 371. The gap between the two is 60 points and, between the Sprint and the Portuguese Grand Prix on 22 November and the final round in Valencia on 29 November, there are still 74 points up for grabs. For Márquez, who is aiming for his tenth world title, the Portuguese weekend could become the decisive one.

The quickest route goes through the Sprint. If Márquez wins it, the title is already his. With second place, it is enough that Martín does not win; with third, the rival cannot finish in the top four. La Gazzetta also points to other useful paths: fourth place for the Ducati rider with Martín outside the top five, or fifth with Martín seventh or sixth with Martín ninth. In other words, Saturday could be enough to put the World Championship in the bag.

If Saturday is not enough

If the celebrations do not arrive in the Sprint, Sunday’s long race remains. Motorsport.com Italia writes that Márquez can become champion this Sunday only by winning the Grand Prix and seeing Martín score zero points, through a crash or by finishing outside 16th place. The combination is tight, but it is the only scenario that would hand over the title already in Portugal before the final round in Valencia.

After the Sprint, Márquez tried to keep both feet on the ground. «This Sunday is not the time to become champion», the Ducati rider told Motorsport.com Italia. Martín, for his part, does not want to manage anything and is only thinking about the race: «I will not go out on track to do calculations and take one point to delay Marc’s title, I will go out on track attacking to collect everything I can and do the maximum possible», the Spaniard said.