When it comes to the question of who will become MotoGP World Champion in 2022, three races before the end of the season, mathematically speaking, seven riders still have a say.
A maximum of 75 World Championship points can still be earned at the Grands Prix in Australia (October 16), Malaysia (October 23) and Valencia (November 6). The title chances of Johann Zarco (68 points behind) and Brad Binder (65 points behind) are already only theoretical.
More realistically, there are five riders still in the MotoGP title fight ahead of the upcoming Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island. One of them is Australian Jack Miller, who starts his home race on Sunday 40 points behind the leader of the standings.
However, Miller’s Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia, just two points behind, has far better chances of the title.
Therefore, Miller will only be eligible for the world title if Bagnaia still has one or more zero numbers. The same goes for Enea Bastianini (Gresini-Ducati), who is just one point ahead of Miller at 39 points.
Ducati or Quartararo? Marquez doesn’t want to bet
Meanwhile, the top 3 in the current 2022 MotoGP standings – Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) and Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) – are separated by just 20 points. Multiple MotoGP champions Marc Márquez and Valentino Rossi are also concerned with the question of which of these three contenders will ultimately prevail and be crowned world champion.
When asked if he would rather bet his money on Fabio Quartararo or “Pecco” Bagnaia as the 2022 world champion, Marquez replied: “I would bet on ‘Peccos’ bike. Ducati is Ducati. We’ve seen that many riders get along well with this motorcycle.”
“On the other hand,” Márquez draws a line with the world championship leader: “Fabio is Fabio. He drives very well. His weakness may be rain races like last time [in Thailand]. It will definitely be interesting to see how it turns out.”
Rossi has ties to all three World Cup contenders
Rossi, who ended his active career as a motorcycle racer in November 2021 but continues to follow the MotoGP scene, says: “I think it’s a three-way battle between Bagnaia, Quartararo and Espargaro. Everything is open and everything can happen. It’s standing There are only a few races left and they’re all separated by a few points, so we’ll continue to monitor that closely.”
Rossi has some connection with all three top contenders. Quartararo drives for Yamaha and thus the manufacturer with which Rossi himself has won four of his seven world titles in the premier class. Bagnaia comes from the VR46 academy and is thus a pupil of Rossi’s own youth program. And Espargaro drives for Aprilia and thus the brand with which Rossi once became world champion in the 125 and 250 class.
Rossi’s long-time arch-rival Márquez says with a grin about the MotoGP title fight in 2022: “I will not bet seriously on the outcome.”