The next Barcelona Grand Prix will mark the end of the duel between Jorge Martin and <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/02/racers-start-falling-at-the-mandalika-motogp-test/" title="Racers Start Falling at the Mandalika MotoGP Test”>Pecco Bagnaia for the 2024 MotoGP title. The Spaniard has a 24-point lead in the championship, which allows him to have a match point in the Sprint on Saturday afternoon.
Before we dive into the 20th and final race weekend, here’s what the duel between the two title contenders looks like. Martin, with 485 points, has already surpassed the total points obtained last year, while Bagnaia is currently stuck at 461 points, a little less than at the end of last season.
Martin and Bagnaia’s championship before the last GP:
| 1 | J. Martin | 485 | 28 | 32 | 20 | 12 | 37 | 26 | 16 | 29 | 12 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 13 | 29 | 25 | 26 | 32 | 29 | 32 | – |
| 2 | P. Bagnaia | 461 | 31 | 6 | 13 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 37 | 37 | 32 | 16 | 37 | 1 | 29 | 12 | 28 | 37 | 22 | 32 | 25 | – |
What are the options for the two drivers?
For Martín, the “deal” could be closed on Saturday, as he will be sure if he finishes the Sprint with a 26 point advantage over Bagnaia, despite already having 24 points. Given the scope, winning the Sprint would mean the title for him, as Bagnaia would have no way of obtaining a sufficient score to continue to resist.
The Piedmontese, however, finds himself in a complicated position: he will aim for victory on both Saturday and Sunday, but will also have to rely on a catastrophic weekend by his rival if he wants to hope to win.
Who will get their hands on the trophy?
Photo by: Dorna
What would the championship be like without the Sprints?
Although it is impossible (and useless) to rewrite history, the snapshot offered by the ranking before this latest Grand Prix speaks for itself: Jorge Martin scored 48 points more than Pecco Bagnaia in the Sprints, which have never been so important for the assignment of the title.
Even though the Prima Pramac Racing rider has recorded some retirements, the Italian blames himself above all for the various mistakes he has made, which weigh heavily on the balance in view of this final.
The weight of the Sprints in the Martin-Bagnaia duel:
| We are | MartIn | Bagnaia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint Losail | 12 | 6 | Martin begins the season as a winner, leading the Sprint from start to finish. |
| Sprint Portimao | 7 | 6 | Bagnaia makes a mistake while leading the race with 3 laps to go. He “saved” himself in 4th place, behind Martin. |
| Sprint Austin | 7 | 2 | Bagnaia has a complicated race after a bad start. Martin ranks third. |
| Sprint Jerez | 12 | 0 | Bagnaia is involved in a collision with Binder and retires. Vince Martin. |
| Sprint Le Mans | 12 | 0 | A technical problem forces Bagnaia to retire, while Martin wins again. |
| Sprint Barcelona | 6 | 0 | Bagnaia crashes on the last lap while he was leading. Martin, who started far behind, finishes fourth. |
| Sprint Mugello | 0 | 12 | Martin falls when he was third, Bagnaia regains victory. |
| Sprint Assen | 9 | 12 | Bagnaia dominates the Sprint, Martin finishes 2nd. |
| Sprint Sachsenring | 12 | 7 | Martin wins, while Bagnaia tries but in the end finishes third. |
| Sprint Silverstone | 9 | 0 |
After a bad start, Bagnaia overdoes it and crashes. Martín secures 2nd place. |
| Sprint Red Bull Ring | 9 | 12 | Martin makes a mistake and is penalized, but finishes second behind Bagnaia. |
| Sprint Aragon | 9 | 1 | Martin makes a mistake and is penalized, but finishes second behind Bagnaia. |
| Sprint Misano | 12 | 9 | Martin wins again ahead of Bagnaia. |
| Sprint Misano 2 | 9 | 12 | Same track, opposite result: Bagnaia beats Martin after a short duel. |
| Sprint Mandalika | 0 | 12 | Martin crashes on the first lap when he was leading, Bagnaia wins. |
| Motegi Sprint | 6 | 12 | Bagnaia inherits the victory after Acosta’s fall. Martin recovers after a bad qualifying and finishes fourth. |
| Sprint Phillip Island | 12 | 6 | Vince Martin. Bagnaia is in difficulty and only places fourth. |
| Sprint Buriram | 9 | 7 | Martin and Bagnaia fight for second place and in the end the Spaniard wins. |
| Sprint Sepang | 12 | 0 | Bagnaia falls when he was second, Martin wins and takes another step towards the title. |
| TOTAL | 164 | 116 |
The championship standings without the Sprints:
| 1 | P. Bagnaia | 345 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 16 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 25 | – |
| 2 | J. Martin | 321 | 16 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 25 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | – |
Bagnaia can only conclude that if Sprints were removed from the points tally, he would be 24 points ahead of his rival, rather than 24 points behind, ahead of the Barcelona GP, despite the fact that they have a similar number of victories on Saturday (seven versus six ) and that it was the #1 Ducati that won the most on Sunday (ten victories against three).
“If we lose the title, it will be because of these crashes,” confirmed Davide Tardozzi, Team Manager of the official Ducati team. The answer Sunday… or Saturday!
