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Between the two litigants Marc Marquez and Pecco Bagnaia, the one who is enjoying for the moment is the third, Alex. The younger of the brothers has ironically dubbed himself "Mister 2nd Place" by virtue of the six runner-up slots he has brought home in as many races (Sprints and GPs) held so far. He has never won, but in the meantime he is lying at the top of the standings, one point ahead of Marc, who clearly needed something else than be the fastest in the first three events of the season to remain at the top of the standings. It only took one mistake to thwart (or almost) all the efforts.
MotoGP arithmetic has its own rules and Marc experienced them on his skin, just as happened to Bagnaia last year. Winning is important (indeed, very important), but it is not always enough. As Martin demonstrated in 2024, all you need to be content sometimes is just to settle for the result (and a lot).
There are two main aspects to this. The first is the scoring system - a subject now well known - that rewards winning in a minimal way. Twenty-five points versus 20 for second place means that one crash can nullify the effort of having beaten one's opponent five consecutive times in a hypothetical head-to-head match. There is little to be done about that; that system was born for other needs, when the number of riders who wanted to participate in GPs was more than the track could accommodate. Now, with 22 riders on the grid, giving the points to the top 15 is anachronistic, but that's the rule and you have to deal with it (in every sense of the word).
The second aspect, was the introduction of Sprints in all the Grands Prix. The new format - intended to bring more people to the track on Saturdays and increase the TV offering - has completely changed the rules of the game. Doubling the number of races means first of all doubling the risks for riders. In the Saturday race, the points up for grabs are halved, the difference between a win and a 2nd place is reduced to 3 points. Making a mistake costs dearly, risking more than necessary to win does not pay enough.
After a 2023 run-in period, it became clear in 2024 that MotoGP had increasingly become a sport for passersby, not sprinters. Martin is the one who realized this before anyone else. With his 11 wins on Sunday, Bagnaia last year was beaten by Jorge in the overall standings, even though the Spaniard won only three times on Sunday. In compensation, the Spaniard took home 10 second places (only one for the Italian) and 3 thirds (4 those of Pecco).
Clearly, Bagnaia did his math during the winter spent brooding over the missed opportunity and this year he switched to the facts. For him, 2025 started below expectations, he gritted his teeth and swallowed placings like bitter pills, knowing that they would come in use later. Marquez's mistake in Austin proved him right.
Marc was clearly superior to any other rider in the first 3 Grands Prix, but it wasn't sufficient for him to stay at the top of the standings. His brother Alex may not be as quick, but in the meantime, the numbers prove the Team Gresini rider right. And also Pecco, who despite the difficulties has only 11 points to recover from his teammate.
Marc and Pecco have been the only two riders to win in the first 6 races, and some say that this trend could last for a long time. It's neck-and-neck for another 19 GPs and 38 races, with currently few riders capable of getting between them to take points off one or the other. So it is all very well and good to beat your opponent, but it is not enough. The World Championships, by now, are also (or perhaps, above all) won with placings, and you have to take that into account. Bagnaia, after getting his fingers burned, has realized this. Probably the Sunday in Austin also opened the eyes of Marc Marquez.
