The final race of 2020 at Portimao Circuit will be emotional for many riders. Also, the Constructor title and second place in the championship is up for grabs. It’s time to delve into 10 stats ahead of the race.

Miguel Oliveira has qualified on pole for the first time since he stepped up to MotoGP last year. It’s the first premier class pole for a Portuguese rider since pole positions began to be officially recorded in 1974. Interestingly, this will be his last race as a satellite rider for KTM Tech3. For 2021 he joins Brad Binder in KTM Factory Racing.

With Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) at the Austrian GP, Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) at the Catalan GP, Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) at the Teruel GP, and now Oliveira, this is the first time there are four maiden MotoGP pole sitters in a season since 2006 when it was Casey Stoner, Dani Pedrosa, Chris Vermeulen, and John Hopkins.

This is the third MotoGP pole position for KTM, along with Pol Espargaro at the Styrian and European GPs. The Portimao GP will be the last race for Pol as a KTM factory rider. He joins Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda Team from next season onwards.

Morbidelli will be aiming to take his first back-to-back wins in the class. He is also aiming to end the season in second overall, currently four points ahead of Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar), and can also take the title of top Independent Team rider as he is 17 points ahead of his challenger and teammate, Fabio Quartararo.

Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) has qualified third, which is the fifth time this season he starts from the front row. He will be aiming to become the 10th different MotoGP winner of the season. Miller is the top Ducati and the best-placed machine from either Ducati or Suzuki as the factories begin the finale equal on points. Whichever machine finishes first wins the Constructor crown – as long as too much ground is not lost to Yamaha, who trail both by 13 points.

Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol), who is scheduled to start his last race as a permanent rider today, qualified fourth as the top Honda, equalling his second-best qualifying result of the season from France.

Quartararo will be aiming to stand on the podium for the first time since he won the race at the Catalan GP. He trails teammate Morbidelli, who starts second, for the title of top Independent Team rider in 2020 by 17 points.

Alex Rins is the top Suzuki on the grid as the Hamamatsu factory aims for the Triple Crown, having won the Rider title with Mir and the Team title. Rins is also aiming to make it a Suzuki 1-2 in the Rider Championship for the first time since 1981. He is currently third overall, four points off Morbidelli, who is on the front row.

2020 MotoGP World Champion Mir is 20th, equalling his worst MotoGP qualifying from the Italian GP last year. He’s the first rider to win the premier class title without a pole during the season since Wayne Rainey in 1992.

The eight-year partnership between Andrea Dovizioso and Ducati Corse will come to an end today as the Italian rider is planning to take a break from MotoGP in 2021. He has a sabbatical year in front of him, probably to compete in the Italian National Motocross. Dovi was the championship runner-up during the last three seasons.

Valentino Rossi joins Petronas Yamaha SRT  alongside fellow countryman Franco Morbidell for 2021. The move will see Rossi join the satellite team in what will be only their third season in the MotoGP category, after the Malaysian squad made their debut at the Qatar GP in 2019.

Pecco Bagnaia will be joining current Pramac teammate Jack Miller in the Ducati Corse set-up for 2021. After his 2020 showing, the 23-year-old has been rewarded with a step up to the factory Ducati team for next season.

MotoGP