Marc Marquez could clinch MotoGP title at Portimao

Marc Marquez is one step away from retaining his MotoGP title and could secure it at Portimao, possibly as early as after Saturday's Sprint. He holds a 60-point lead over Francesco Martin and 74 over Marco Bezzecchi, leaving the championship looking close to settled.

A Portimao title would be Marquez's 10th overall, placing him behind only Angel Nieto and Giacomo Agostini in the list of riders to reach double figures. It would also be his eighth premier-class crown, equalling Agostini's total.

The comeback is what sets this title apart. After the Mugello Grand Prix, Marquez was 102 points behind Bezzecchi and eighth overall, with all four Aprilia riders ahead of him. Matching that recovery in seven Grands Prix has no precedent, bar Francesco Bagnaia's 2022 climb, which took the same number of races but involved fewer points on offer, as Sprints had not yet been introduced.