The 2023 MotoGP World Championship season reaches its climax in Valencia this weekend and Francesco Bagnaia is aiming to seal back-to-back titles.

The Italian ace claimed his first riders' championship in 2022 and has made an impressive defence of his crown this year.

He comes into the final race of the season at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo with a healthy lead of 21 points over Jorge Martin and we have outlined the key permutations for the Grand Prix of Valencia.

What	Grand Prix of Valencia
Where	Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, Spain
When	14:00, Sunday 26th November
How to watch	TNT Sports 2

MotoGP World Championship riders' standings

1. Francesco Bagnaia 437 points
2. Jorge Martin 416 points
3. Marco Bezzecchi 326 points
4. Brad Binder 268 points
5. Johann Zarco 204 points

Bagnaia could sprint to title in Spain

Francesco Bagnaia made the perfect start to the 2023 campaign, winning the sprint and the main race at March's season opener in Portugal.

However, the Ducati Lenovo rider has not had things all his own way after winning his maiden title in 2022 as Prima Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin has taken the championship battle down to the final weekend.

In the penultimate race of the season in Qatar, Martin put the pressure on the leader by winning the Saturday sprint, but Bagnaia responded brilliantly in the main race.

He finished second to compatriot Fabio di Giannantonio, while Martin slipped down the field to come home in 10th place, having started fifth on the grid, just one spot behind Bagnaia.

Martin trails Bagnaia by 21 points going into the final race of term, so the Spaniard needs to do something special if he is to pinch the title in front of his own fans.

Martin triumphed at the Valencia circuit in the Moto3 race in 2017 and in 2020's Moto2 race, but Bagnaia's advantage is so significant that he could seal the championship in the sprint race.

He needs to pick up at least five more points than his title rival in Saturday's showdown, so if Martin comes 10th or lower in the sprint, outside the points, Bagnaia would only need to finish in the top five to be crowned champion.

Martin requires a perfect weekend

Martin effectively needs to finish first or second in the sprint to extend his title challenge into Sunday's main race in Valencia.

If he wins both the sprint and the main races he would amass 37 points, taking his total for the season to 453.

In that case, Bagnaia would still be strong favourite as he would require 17 points over the course of the weekend to reach the magic 454 mark.

Finishing fourth in the sprint and fifth in the main race would give the Italian 17 points, so he holds all the aces as the riders speed towards the 2023 finish line.

Bagnaia and Martin have similar reliability records this season, each retiring from three of the first 19 main races, and MotoGP fans will hope that the title is decided on the track rather than in the pits.

The top two riders in the standings have been a cut above their rivals this season and Martin starts the final weekend of 2023 with a 90-point advantage over third-placed Marco Bezzecchi.

MotoGP constructors' standings

1. Ducati 663 points
2. KTM 348 points
3. Aprilia 309 points

MotoGP teams' standings

1. Prima Pramac Racing 620 points
2. Ducati Lenovo 531 points
3. Mooney VR46 Racing Team 520 points

Prima Pramac primed for team titles

The 2023 MotoGP constructors' championship has resulted in a landslide victory for Ducati, who supply the bikes for four of the top five in the riders' championship.

They are more than 300 points clear of KTM going into the final weekend of the season, but the race for the teams' title is still just about alive.

Prima Pramac Racing, powered by the consistent performances of Martin and team-mate Bezzecchi, are 89 points clear of Bagnaia's Ducati Lenovo team, who would need a miracle to turn things around in Valencia.

And Prima Pramac Racing should also pick up the title of best independent team as they are 100 points ahead of their closest rivals in that category, Mooney VR46 Racing Team.