Marc Marquez has conceded that his 2024 MotoGP title hopes are all but gone with five rounds to go.
The Gresini Racing Ducati rider recently began a late-season charge with grand prix wins in Aragon and San Marino, but an engine failure in Indonesia last Sunday has left him trailing series leader Jorge Martin by 78 points.
A maximum of 185 points are still available this season, leaving the Spaniard's championship chances mathematical but unlikely.
"We already had a big deficit and after the zero points score in the Indonesian Grand Prix, the difference is now too much," said the eight-time world champion ahead of this weekend's Japanese round at Motegi.
"The title has been our target for the last five races, but it looks like the championship is now game over for us.
"The gap is already too big, and the title is a two-man race. This gives me the peace of mind to keep working on the weak points in the last races and confirm the strong ones."
While Pramac Racing's Martin and Ducati Team's Francesco Bagnaia are indeed the only two likely title candidates, it's certainly not game over for third place.
That's currently held by Bagnaia's team-mate Enea Bastianini, whose advantage over Marquez is just three points heading into the Japanese Grand Prix.
Both are well clear of rookie MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta (Tech3), who is 107 points behind Marquez in fifth.
Bastianini's situation is similar to Marquez's. He too had a zero score at Mandalika last Sunday, as he fell off while pushing to catch Martin for the win.
"I risked a lot in Mandalika," said the Italian. "It was important for me to take that risk and try to win that race. In the end, I crashed, but that's part of the game. Now I'm a bit out of it for the title.
"But if it's possible to recover positions or close this gap, I want to be in the fight."
Asked if he would continue to take maximum risk in order to keep his slim title chances alive, Bastianini didn't rule out the possibility.
He said: "For the coming races I need to be competitive and bring in as many points as possible. But I don't know which approach I'll take. I have to check this just before the race!"
While three-time Motegi MotoGP winner Marquez finished third in last year's shortened Japanese Grand Prix, Bastianini will be coming into this weekend playing catch-up after missing last year's event entirely due to injuries picked up at the Catalan Grand Prix.
"I think it will be important to learn from the other Ducati riders in the first session, so that I can be much faster for the second session," said the winner of this year's British and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix.
"But I'm ready. Motegi is one of my favourite tracks and I want to be competitive."
