Jorge Martin trails championship leader Marc Marquez by 60 points with Portugal and Valencia remaining in the 2026 MotoGP season. Conditions published by the championship on November 12 show that the Aprilia rider must outscore his rival by at least 24 points over the Portuguese weekend to keep the title contest alive for the finale. First comes a Saturday Sprint threshold.
Saturday requires a gap of 61 or less
There are 74 points still available across two weekends, each offering a maximum of 12 in the Sprint and 25 in the Grand Prix, or 37 in total. After Portugal’s Sprint, 62 remain available through its 25-point Grand Prix and the final weekend’s 37.
A Sprint victory would keep Martin in contention for Sunday. If Marc Marquez finished second, their scores of 12 and nine would reduce the gap from 60 to 57.
If Martin finishes second, Marc Marquez must be third or lower. If Martin is third, his rival must be fourth or lower. Should Martin finish fourth or worse, Marc Marquez can score no more than one point more than him to keep the overall gap at 61 or less.
Sunday must bring a much larger reduction
Having passed Saturday’s threshold, Martin must leave Portugal no more than 36 points behind. Starting 60 adrift, he therefore needs a net gain of at least 24 across the whole weekend.
Valencia’s Sprint and Grand Prix offer only 37 points combined. Marc Marquez already has seven Grand Prix victories this season to Martin’s one, making a points tie unfavourable to Martin on countback. He needs to leave enough room to move ahead on points.
