Why watch the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao?

The main titles of the 2025 season MotoGP Some races have already been decided, but the remaining rounds are far from meaningless. On the contrary, there are still plenty of reasons to follow the Portuguese Grand Prix, which takes place this week at the Portimao circuit. Here are the main ones.

First, the battle for the BMW M Award, which recognizes the best qualifying rider, remains tight between the Márquez brothers. Currently, Marc still holds a 39-point lead over his younger brother, Alex, but has withdrawn from the season due to a broken collarbone. Alex, if he qualifies on the front row, could still dethrone his older brother in Valencia, the venue for the 2025 season finale. However, if he starts fourth or lower on the grid, his brother will secure the title for the eighth time in his career, and his first since 2019.

As a reminder, the winner of this parallel championship, whose points system is the same as that of Sunday (25 points for first, 20 for second, 16 for third, ...), will win a BMW M2 CS from the German manufacturer.

Honda soon to be C-ranked?

It will also be important to keep an eye on Honda's points tally. As a reminder, the Japanese manufacturer could take a significant step forward and achieve Tier C status in the manufacturer concessions by the end of the season. This promotion would reduce its current advantages in the development race. For this to happen, the brand must score a certain percentage (35%) of the points available throughout the season. If the combined scores of the highest-placed Honda rider in both the Sprint and Main Races reach 19, they will be awarded Tier C status by the factory after the final round of the championship on November 16th.

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The 2025 Portuguese Grand Prix will also host the MotoE World Championship finale. Earlier this year, the end of the championship was officially announced. This will therefore be the final round for the riders and teams in the series. Continuing the theme, the race at Portimao will be Miguel Oliveira's last on home soil in the MotoGP category.

It's worth noting that in Moto2, the only category in the world championships where the title is still up for grabs, the outcome could be decided in Portimao. With a 9-point lead over his closest rival, Diogo Moreira – Johann Zarco's future teammate in MotoGP – has his first opportunity to clinch the title. To do so, he will need to leave the Algarve with a lead of more than 26 points over Manuel Gonzalez. Also in Moto2, the Fantic Racing team of Belgian rider Barry Baltus can also secure the Constructors' title this Sunday.

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