Title maths for Valentino Rossi

Valentino Rossi has his first chance to wrap up an eighth MotoGP title today. The Italian will need lots of luck on his side if he is to win the title but with an 11 point lead does give him a glimmer of hope that the incredible MotoGP title battle between him and  Jorge Lorenzo can be concluded in Malaysia.

For Rossi to win the title he needs to leave Malaysia with a 26 point cushion to Lorenzo. A race win and Lorenzo finishing outside the top five would be enough for that margin. Finishing second can see Rossi reach the victory post but only if Lorenzo is outside the top ten. A third place finish combined with Lorenzo scoring one point would also be enough.