2023-08-29 19:52:12
Jorge Martín is being one of the few riders, along with Marco Bezzecchi, who are preventing what could be a triumphant ride for Pecco Bagnaia this season. The reigning champion of the queen class He is on his way to revalidate what would be his second consecutive MotoGP title, and only his factory teammates are being able to bother the member of the Ducati Lenovo Team in a course marked by the dominance of the Borgo Panigale firm, winner of all the races held to date except for Austin, where Honda won Álex Rins satellite.
That of 2023 is being a season from less to more for Jorge Martín; the madrilenian had to wait for the French Grand Prix to score his first podium of the year, and after another productive weekend in Italy and his victory at Sachsenring against Bagnaia, the number 89 began to climb in the general classification until he placed second. The gap with Pecco is still wide (62 points), but with 10 grands prix ahead and two races every weekend, everything can change in MotoGP overnight.
Before starting the Catalunya Grand Prix, Martín has offered an interview to Motogp.com in which he points out the event in Italy as the turning point of the season, the moment in which he knew he could challenge Bagnaia in the fight for the MotoGP title: “I think it was in Mugello. Last year there I finished 14th or 15th in the race, and this year I finished second very close to first. At that moment I said to myself ‘okay, we are one of the best, we can win races this year’. And after that I won at the Sachsenring.”
That victory in Germany ahead of Bagnaia “It was an important moment of the season” in Jorge’s opinion because, according to his words, “There he understood that I am one of the strongest, and that I can win not only when I am the fastest, but also when we are both fast. I think right now he’s thinking about me about the championship, and that’s the most important thing.”
Being first and enjoying a 62-point cushion allows Pecco “to be in a very good position right now” argues Martín, aware that his rival “You can manage to finish second or third, you can decide whether to take risks or not. I have to risk a little more to recover those points, I’m sure I can get there and I will“.
Martín sees few pilots capable of approaching them, and only two rivals stand out: “I think Binder may also be able to close the gap, he doesn’t make too many mistakes. Marco (Bezzecchi) is also being very quick, but maybe he makes some mistakes, although he has had the chance to achieve great results. I think Pecco and I are a little more constant in all circuits. I feel like it’s Pecco and me“.
Questioned directly about his great rival -and a former teammate in the Aspar team for a long time-, Jorge Martín describes Bagnaia as “an amazing pilot” whom you know very well: “We have spent a lot of time together in the past. For two years we slept together in the same house, so we have a good relationship. But when you are fighting for a championship, it is complicated. I don’t know how Pecco and Marco do it to be fighting for the title and the next day continue the sameAt least for me it’s a bit more complicated”he admits between laughs.
Unlike 2022, Martín assures that this year he feels much freer when it comes to fighting Pecco on the track. Nothing to do with what happened last season, when the man from Madridor “he was a little conditioned by his situation, They always told me that I had to be very careful with him, try to pass him cleanly…. In the end, I was always thinking about this when I met him on the track. But now I’m a title contender, I wish the other drivers would be careful with me (laughs). We have to fight on the track and they have to give us the same material until the end.”
Read also: Timetables Grand Prix of Catalonia MotoGP 2023, free and open
Lastly, already thinking about his future, Jorge Martín does not hide the fact that his dream “is to go to the factory team.” asserts “not knowing” when will your promotion take place “because Ducati is the only one who can make the decision and change something”, but warns that your patience has an expiration date: “My goal in 2025 is to be on an official bike, I think I deserve it. I have the potential to win with another bike as well. My first choice is Ducati, but if they don’t appreciate my work or my talent, then that will be the only option I have.“, a Martín sentences that he will not hesitate to leave the Ducatista orbit if he does not dress in red in 2025.
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