Pecco Bagnaia's win in the Saturday sprint at the Barcelona season finale means the MotoGP title fight goes down to the wire for the third year running.
But like in 2022 and 2023 it is far from an even-handed battle, with Jorge Martin retaining a massive points advantage and just needing a straightforward race to be crowned champion for the first time in his career.
The gap between the pair now stands at 19 points, having been 24 coming into the weekend.
It means that to have any chance of securing his third successive crown Bagnaia needs to finish the Solidarity Grand Prix Sunday finale in the top two.
But even in the case of a Bagnaia win - something that looks likely given his form during the weekend so far - Martin only needs seven points, which is the equivalent of a ninth-place finish.
Permutations:
If Bagnaia finishes first, Martin needs to be ninth or higher
If Bagnaia finishes second, Martin needs to be 14th or higher
If Bagnaia finishes third or lower, Martin is guaranteed the title
Martin has only missed out on a top-nine finish three times on Sundays this season.
He crashed out of the lead at Jerez and the Sachsenring (Bagnaia won both races) and ended up a lapped 15th after pitting at Misano in a failed gamble for rain tyres (Bagnaia ended up second).
