With 16 rounds of the MotoGP World Championship completed and only four remaining, one might think that Francesco Bagnaia, with his impressive record of Grand Prix wins, would be comfortably leading the standings. However, the introduction of Sprint races last year has shown they can be decisive in championships.
Despite winning eight of the 16 main races, Bagnaia finds himself second in the standings, trailing by 10 points behind Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati). While Martín has only won three main races and missed the podium four times, he has been far more consistent overall. Bagnaia, on the other hand, has also missed the podium four times but failed to score points on three Sundays, compared to Martín’s two.
The real difference-maker is the Sprint races. Martín has excelled in this format, continuing his dominance from last year, only missing the top three in three Sprint events and failing to score points twice. In contrast, Bagnaia has struggled more in the Sprints, with eight podiums but also four races outside the points.
In the Sprint standings, Martín has amassed 131 points compared to Bagnaia’s 103. In the main race standings, Bagnaia leads with 279 points, while Martín has 261. Therefore, Martín’s stronger performance in Sprint races is proving crucial to his championship lead.