For the first time in the modern MotoGP era, a satellite rider can become world champion – Jorge Martin emphasizes how proud the fight makes him
With a 24-point lead, Jorge Martin is the clear favorite for the world championship ahead of the MotoGP season finale in Barcelona. For the first time in the modern four-stroke era, a satellite rider could lift the big trophy.
“It makes me proud to be fighting for the world title at this stage of the season,” says the Spaniard. “It makes me proud to have a rival like Bagnaia because it makes me better. ‘Pecco’ is riding at the highest level.
“The fact that I can fight with him and push him to the limit makes what we both do even more valuable. Fighting for the world title in the last race is always difficult. Anything can happen. But I’m confident that I can do it.”
Last year, Martin narrowly missed out in the final. Francesco Bagnaia defended his world title. It’s also a battle of David versus Goliath. Martin was twice denied a move to the Ducati works team.
Winning the world championship title would be a great source of satisfaction for him. “It wouldn’t just be for me, but for my people, my team and everyone around me,” Martin emphasizes. “I want to do it for them so that they can be happy.”
“What’s important is the final goal, not the victories. He’s in a different phase, he’s been in MotoGP for six years, he’s on the factory team. He has everything, his environment is made for victories. I have twelve people fighting the world.”
‘We have won seven sprints, three race victories and a total of 30 podium finishes. I can’t ask for more,’ says Martin. His consistency has put him in a strong position. The decision could be made as early as the sprint race in Barcelona.
“There’s still one race to go, but it will be the toughest. The closer you get to the end, the more complicated everything becomes mentally. I will prepare mentally and physically for the last race.”
“But I don’t want to change my routine and way of working when I come to the track on Thursday. I have to qualify well. Barcelona is one of my weakest tracks when it comes to qualifying. In recent years, I have never been on the front row there.”
Barcelona not Martin’s best track
The last time we raced in Barcelona was at the end of May. Martin qualified seventh, Bagnaia was second on the grid. In the sprint, Bagnaia crashed out. Martin came in fourth. In the Grand Prix, Bagnaia won ahead of Martin.
“I’ll ask my friend Aleix for help, because he’s always good at this track,” Martin laughs, adding, “In the last Grand Prix, it will be difficult to beat ‘Pecco’ in his current form.”
“We will see how the weekend goes. It will be cooler, which usually suits me better. Heat is the perfect condition for Bagnaia. In cooler conditions, there is more chance of mistakes, but the risk is the same for both of us.”
The mental side will play a role in a final. ‘It was different,’ Martin refers to the final twelve months ago. ”Some things happened. I wasn’t ready to win. I could have won but mentally I wasn’t ready for it.“
”This year I’m enjoying it. Last Sunday I had fun, riding on the limit and enjoying the battle.” On the track, Martin lost out to Bagnaia in Malaysia. The Italian won his tenth race on Sunday.
Last chance for a world title?
In the statistics, Bagnaia has ten wins this season, but Martin only three. “I would help him win the eleventh race if I won the world championship,” says the Spaniard about this statistic.
Barcelona is Martin’s last weekend with Pramac. The Italian team is also saying goodbye to Ducati and will race with Yamaha in the future. Martin is switching to Aprilia. The performance of the RS-GP has stagnated this season.
It is unlikely that Martin will be able to fight for the world title with Aprilia next year. Does that make this his last chance to become world champion? “Not at all,” Martin says.
“I think I still have many years in MotoGP ahead of me. I have reached the highest level and want to get better every day. We will see what the future brings. Right now, I’m focusing on the present. I have a great opportunity and I don’t want to miss out on it.”
