JAKARTA - The Valencia Grand Prix this weekend will determine Joan Mir's fate when the Suzuki Ecstar team racer pocketed the match points to bring home the title of the 2020 MotoGP world champion.
After winning his first premier-class victory through a brilliant performance at the European Grand Prix held at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, Valencia, last week, Mir widened his distance at the top of the standings to 37 points from his closest rivals with two races remaining at the end of the season.
If he finishes on the podium on Sunday, Mir, who is undergoing his second year in MotoGP, will automatically lock the world title, no matter in which position his rivals finish.
Or the easiest scenario, Mir only needs to maintain a minimum advantage of 26 points from his closest rivals after the Valencia GP is over.
No one thought the Spanish rider had the best chance of winning the title this year in the middle of a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, since finishing runner-up in the fourth series, the Austrian Grand Prix, Mir has been the most consistent racer to fight for the top spot and has counted seven podium finishes, including his one victory in Valencia.
His team-mate, Alex Rins, is no less great to emphasize the performance of the Suzuki GSX-RR motorbike that is feared by its rivals this year, and to present a victory for the Japanese factory team at Aragon.
Suzuki is now heading for the Valencia GP with a seven-point advantage over Ducati in the MotoGP constructors' standings, and has the opportunity to lock in the title for the first time since winning the premier class in 1982.
Meanwhile, the Valencia GP will be Fabio Quartararo's last chance, who was the favorite to win at the start of the season thanks to a double win at Jerez, and now occupies second place with 37 points difference.
However, the Petronas Yamaha team rider has recently been haunted by inconsistent performances and has been confused about his motorbike performance.
"I think we need to work in another way, not from the team, but for Yamaha to take more risks trying to fight with the top riders because it looks like every rider is struggling in this race," Quartararo said after the European GP as quoted by the official MotoGP website.
"Facing these two races, mathematically we can still win the championship, but I'm a little bit on the other side, I just need to enjoy it because there are quite a few races other than at Le Mans where I don't really enjoy the race weekend," he said.
"Not because of pressure or anything, but because I didn't find the right setting and it was very difficult to understand why. Being second in the championship, I think we still have a great chance to finish in this place and I will never give up until the last lap and the flag. flown at Portimao, "said Quartararo.
Meanwhile, Rins, with the same points as Quartararo, will appear carefree despite also having ambitions to pursue the title while the opportunity is still open.
Mathematically, Maverick Vinales, with a deficit of 41 points in fourth place, also has a chance of winning the title for Yamaha, as does Franco Morbidelli, who has won twice this season.
Meanwhile, Andrea Dovizioso is in sixth place, despite having the same points as Morbideli, while both are 45 points away from Mir.
Unpredictable. That's a picture of this year's MotoGP season, which has presented nine different winning riders and 15 riders who have tasted the sweetness of the podium.
Defending champion Marc Marquez is likely to return to racing next year after Repsol Honda stated that the six-time MotoGP world champion has not fully recovered from the injury he has suffered since the opening series at Jerez.
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