The Friday of the Malaysian Grand Prix began in the name of Jorge Martin, who however was beaten right at the end of the afternoon session by an Alex Marquez in great form and author of the best time. The Pramac rider, however, once again showed himself to be in excellent form, soon breaking down the barrier of 58 and closing the two sessions, one of which was decisive for qualifying, with an excellent pace and a good time attack.
“I felt competitive from the morning and very strong in the afternoon,” began the Spaniard speaking to the press at the end of Friday in Sepang. “We had to change the strategy a bit because we were afraid of the rain coming. I didn’t have a new tire at the start of practice, so I had to abort the second run. But overall I managed to ride in 57, which is a very good time. I’m also strong in terms of pace, so let’s see if we can make a small step tomorrow.”
The rain itself represents the big unknown of the weekend and Pramac decided to implement a change of strategy if the track got wet. Anticipated time attack, therefore, with an important objective. Getting straight into Q2: “Today even if I had been tenth it would have been fine, the important thing was to get to Q2. I made some mistakes in my time attack, so I think I still have some margin in my pocket for tomorrow. Surely other riders also have a margin.”
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
“These tests were a bit stressful for this very reason, you always have to be in the top 10. If the rain comes while you’re outside the ten you’re in trouble, but we have to be ready. There is a big risk for everyone, but the last time we raced in the wet I won. We need to keep our feet on the ground and understand how to be faster than Pecco,” continues Martin.
The Pramac rider then revealed that it took him a few laps to get back into the rhythm. Already on Thursday in Sepang he had declared that he preferred the races in sequence because, especially in this important phase of the season, the break offers too much time to think. However, his excellent state of form allowed him to immediately return to the frenetic pace that he showed in this last part of the championship: “This morning I felt as if I was riding a little stuck in the first two or three laps. But then as soon as I kept riding I was having fun, I felt confident. At the end of the first session I was in the lead, so it’s ok! But the first laps were a bit difficult.”
The rain gave a respite on Friday’s free practice and the riders were able to try the new asphalt, laid after the winter tests to solve the problem of bumps: “It’s different, some bumps that were there before are no longer there, on the other hand there are they are others. There’s a big one going into Turn 7, but overall they’ve done a great job and it’s better than in testing. The grip is very similar.”
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