Jorge Martin is the only rider in the leading group to change bikes in Misano when it starts to rain – How he justifies his wrong decision
When rain started to fall in the early stages of the San Marino Grand Prix in Misano, Jorge Martin (Pramac-Ducati) was the only rider in the leading group to decide to switch to the second bike with rain tires. Further back in the field, five other riders followed him into the pit lane
Martin made this decision at the end of the seventh lap, when he was directly behind his world championship rival Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) in second place. “Because it was raining. What can I say?” Martin commented on his decision.
“Of course it was wet. I think Morbidelli crashed. If it had kept raining, I would have won! It was raining heavily between turn 3 and turn 11. That’s why I made my decision.”
“I was thinking more about this race than the world championship. That’s why I thought it would be better to make the stop,” said Martin, explaining his decision. But he quickly realized that he had made the wrong one.
“When I drove out of the pits,” he sighs. “From one lap to the next, the rain stopped. I saw that it was no longer raining. That’s why I came back into the pits.” After his second bike change back to slicks, the Spaniard was lapped
HERE WE GO! @88jorgemartin has seen enough and HE SWAPS BIKES! ️SanMarinoGP pic.twitter.com/jFfDfy5t4Q
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) September 8, 2024
He finished the race in 15th place and scored one championship point. “After that decision, I tried to do my best. I was behind a group. I could have overtaken them all, but then I might have been black-flagged.”
“That’s why I waited behind them until I crossed the finish line with a point.” Martin is not right with his assessment. In Moto3, riders who have already overlapped and rejoined the leading group have been black-flagged out of the race.
However, this does not apply in the premier class. Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales, who had also changed bikes twice and was riding behind Martin, was also unaware of this. That’s why they crossed the finish line behind this group, even though they were faster
Communication with team not optimal in the run-up
How did Martin’s miscalculation actually come about? We knew from the weather radar that rain was moving north of the route towards the Adriatic. It was unclear whether and to what extent these foothills would also pass over Santa Monica, where the Misano circuit is located.
“It’s important to communicate well with the team. We didn’t talk about it and I didn’t know what was coming. Maybe there was a misunderstanding between us about this,” says Martin.
@88jorgemartin goes back in and he’ll be a lap behind!
And @marcmarquez93 is managing a fine margin he’s got over @PeccoBagnaia SanMarinoGP pic. twitter.com/jzZ10TquPK
– MotoGP™ (@MotoGP) September 8, 2024
Nevertheless, he emphasizes: “It was 100 percent my fault, but it would obviously be useful to have more information before the race.” His lesson for the future after this botched strategy is clear: “Next time, I will wait behind ‘Pecco’ and do the same.”
Bagnaia stayed on the track with slicks and was ultimately only beaten by Marc Marquez (Gresini-Ducati). With this second place, the defending champion suddenly reduced his deficit on Martin.
After his victory in the Misano sprint on Saturday, Martin had a 26-point lead over Bagnaia. This cushion has now shrunk to seven points
