Six MotoGP events to go before the 2024 world champion is crowned: How the top four are preparing for the final phase and the exhausting Asian and overseas races
222 points are the maximum that can be won at the last six MotoGP race weekends of this season. This means that, in purely mathematical terms, ten drivers are still in with a chance of winning the title. However, the top four in the World Cup have the best chances: Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez.
The Superbike World Championship has recently shown how quickly the tide can turn. Toprak Razgatioglu was injured in a crash, had to take a break and lost a large part of his lead over Nicolo Bulega.
This makes it all the more important for the top four in MotoGP to stay fit in the upcoming Asian and overseas races and to take maximum points – even if, in case of doubt, it is not always the most points for race victory.
Asked about the title fight, championship leader Jorge Martin said on Thursday before the race weekend in Mandalika, Indonesia: “For me it’s quite simple. The more pressure I have or the more problems arise, the more I try to concentrate on my driving, on my feeling.”
“If I think about it too much, I start to make mistakes. I just try to give 100 percent in every situation. That’s how I avoid pressure.”
Bagnaia: I have to be aggressive
Martin is currently 24 points ahead of Bagnaia, who recorded his third DNF on a race Sunday at the last Grand Prix in Misano. The reigning world champion emphasizes: “My approach has not changed. I try to push and be competitive to win races.”
“I’m now 24 points behind, which is not a lot, but it’s not nothing either. So I have to continue to approach this part of the season aggressively. Then, after these two races, I might change my strategy. But for now, I have to push.”
“The same applies to me,” his teammate Bastianini agrees. He is in third place in the world championship with 59 points. “I have to attack and try to win as many races as possible if I want to fight for the title.”
“I spent the first part of the year trying to be consistent and score a lot of points without risking too much. It was important for me to build up a good feeling with the team and the new bike,“ he reflects.
”Then that changed a bit as the season went on. Now it’s time to push to close the gap, which won’t be easy,” Bastianini admits.
Marquez, who has already notched up three wins in his first year with Gresini-Ducati (including one sprint), does not see himself as a title contender. “I’ve already achieved my goal for the season and I just want to keep enjoying it. That will be the key,” he says, looking ahead to the last six races of the season.
How do the drivers deal with jet lag?
These will demand a lot from the drivers. Indonesia and Japan are part of a triple header with Misano 2, where MotoGP was a week ago. Then there is another triple header from Australia, Thailand and Malaysia, before the season finale returns to Europe, more precisely Valencia.
When traveling across different continents and time zones, jet lag naturally plays a significant role. Martin, for example, explains: “This year I’ve coped well with jet lag. I can adapt quite quickly.”
“The important thing for me is to arrive early. I arrived here on Monday evening, so I had enough time to recover. I struggle a little for two nights, but the third night is okay. Now I feel good and ready.”
“I feel the same,” says Bagnaia. ”I prefer to arrive as early as possible to get over the jet lag. Physically, it’s not that exhausting, but mentally it is a bit more. You feel tired after a long flight. But we are lucky to fly business class and that helps to not feel too tired.
“As soon as you arrive, you just want to get away, get some training done. But like I said, the earlier you arrive, the quicker you can adjust.”
Bastianini admits: “It’s not easy to be at 100 percent everywhere you go. Sometimes you suffer more from jet lag, sometimes less. But it’s the same for everyone. After Japan, I will travel back home and will certainly be a bit tired after the long flights. But I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Marquez also needs a certain amount of time to acclimatize. “Normally, you feel 100 percent again on the third day,” says the Gresini rider. “So it takes two to three days to feel really good.”
