Thursday is usually a day that passes quite quietly in the MotoGP paddock, but today in Assen there was great anticipation for the two press conferences that were supposed to open the Dutch Grand Prix weekend. For the first time, in fact, the five riders who changed their shirts in view of 2025 in the three-week break that separated us since the last race held at Mugello would have appeared in front of the media’s microphones.
In particular, there was curiosity to hear the words of the one who first moved the chessboard, namely Jorge Martin. The leader of the World Championship had arrived in Tuscany with the promise that he would be the official Ducati rider alongside Pecco Bagnaia, but Marc Marquez’s no to Prima Pramac Racing complicated everything and in the end in Borgo Panigale they decided to focus on the eight-time world champion. However, the rider from Madrid had no trouble finding a high-level alternative and shortly after the conclusion of the collective tests at Mugello, the announcement of his move to Aprilia arrived. He was therefore asked to reconstruct what happened in those few hours that changed the scenarios, and by a lot.
“It was a particular weekend, full of things, even if I wasn’t aware of it. I arrived in Italy with information that changed over the course of the weekend, and on Sunday I understood that my future there was not clear and that I had to take a decision decision Sometimes in life you realize that things don’t go the way you want, it was a bit frustrating, after four years of trying to get to the factory bike, I realized that I wasn’t the best decision for Ducati, which it was. Marc. But well, I took the best chance I could and I think that the next few years I will be happier where I go and I will be in an official team, which was my dream. I will go to a place where they really want me, where I feel wanted and where they will give one hundred percent for me. There is still a long season to go, I am a Ducati rider and I will give one hundred percent until the end”, said “Martinator”, launching a clear dig at the men of the Red team.
“It’s difficult to explain what happened, I spoke with Ducati after Barcelona, everything was clear and the truth is that I didn’t want to talk about my future during the Mugello weekend to concentrate on the track. On Sunday afternoon I saw that it wasn’t clear at all, something or someone came along and made me change my mind. I was frustrated, I had been waiting for a long time to join the official team, but because of this I understood that it would never happen. Things happen because they have to happen and I’m happy with how they went things eventually,” he added.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Inevitably, he was asked if by changing sides he doesn’t fear that Ducati could end up favoring those who remain in the title race, namely Bagnaia and Marquez, but Jorge seemed quite calm on the subject: “I’m not afraid, I feel confident. For my part, I’m a professional, I’m paid by Ducati, I race for Ducati and until Valencia it will continue to be my home. I will give one hundred percent to try to win and I have been assured that I will have maximum support. I am confident that I can fight on equal terms with these two riders”.
There will be time to start talking about the adventure that awaits him with the Noale manufacturer, because first there is still a title to try to chase with the Desmosedici GP and Pramac: “It’s still very early, I’m working and trying to create a good team for next year, but I don’t want to get too deep into all this. There are still 13 races, after Valencia we will focus on this project and try to win as soon as possible. In Austin, Maverick Vinales was at another level, so the bike is competitive and the material is there”.
Finally, he assured that the presence of his great friend Aleix Espargaro did not influence him in his choice of Aprilia: “What I can say is that his influence was nil, I don’t want to make the decision of my life based on someone else. I have tried to gather information to know where I would move, but the decision I made was one I felt immediately. Then I thought about another bike maybe, but in the end I made a decision based on my heart, because I think that I will be happy there, and when someone is happy they are fast on the track. He helped me with the contracts though, because we share the manager with Aleix and we only had to change a few things.”
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