Unfortunately, bravery doesn't earn any points and his rivals gained ground. Pedrosa's 23-point advantage over Casey Stoner doesn't look like a big enough buffer if the Spaniard still isn't fit enough to fight at the front in Portugal.
Stoner's win in Australia wasn't just dominant, it was imperious, and frankly he embarrassed the rest of the field by seemingly being able to pull out at will fast laps during bitterly cold conditions.
The result helped salvage his season, improving his recent statistics to three wins in four races having trudged through the rest of the year happy just to get a podium place.
That's reassuring on many levels, not least for Stoner himself, who now has the chance of finishing runner-up in a year when he's been afflicted by set-up woes. His employer for next year, Honda, will also be relieved that they have signed a proven winner after all.
And never discount Valentino Rossi, who must be licking his lips and looking forward to getting on the Ducati vacated by Stoner, which is the form bike in the field at the moment.
After more than a touch of brinksmanship, it was announced last week that Rossi will ride the Ducati for the first time in Valencia, the day after the last race of the season.
It's a gentleman's agreement on the part of his current bosses at Yamaha, who technically have the Italian under contract until the end of the year.
One suspects had they not let him test he'd have brought forward his much-needed shoulder operation, meaning he would have missed the last two races. Funny how the pain eases when management leans towards a rider's wishes.
As it stands, Rossi will be heading to Estoril knowing he's the most successful rider in history there, having won five times, and will be desperate to both overhaul the eight point deficit to Stoner and beat his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo, just to keep us all wondering "What if he'd never been injured this year...?"
If he manages to finish the season in second despite missing four races through injury, you can't help but feel it will add even more to the legend and make his loyal supporters think he was the real winner in 2010.
Away from the fight for second in the championship, the most interesting thing for neutrals is the clash of the Americans between Ben Spies and Nicky Hayden.
Spies will certainly finish the year with the coveted accolades of top rookie and top satellite team rider, but it will be a remarkable achievement if he manages to bring his Tech 3 Yamaha home ahead of the factory Ducati of Hayden.
Spies is currently 11 points ahead, but Hayden has shown he is up for the fight with some stand-up-and-cheer moves against Rossi in the last race. Watching them sparring in the midfield will be scintillating.
Ironically, the man who has the least need to win this weekend is the one most likely to record the victory. Lorenzo has secured his maiden world championship so there's nothing left for him to fight for, but he's won at Estoril from pole position on both occasions he's raced a MotoGP bike there.
He's now gone six races without a win and it is inconceivable that he'll want to conclude the season without looking down on his rivals from the top step once again.
* Watch the Portuguese MotoGP race tomorrow on BBC Two at 12.30pm.
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