Consistency is perhaps the key to success for Jorge Martin, who in this phase of the season has collected second places and placings that have allowed him to arrive at Misano as the championship leader, also thanks to the missteps of his direct rival in the championship. In the Romagna Sprint, the Pramac rider returned to savor victory after a fast that had lasted since Sachsenring, where he had won his last Saturday race, increasing his advantage in the general classification and arriving at +26 on Pecco Bagnaia.
A lightning-fast start allowed him to make up for the fourth row he had earned in qualifying and at the first corner he took the lead of the race and never let it go. Martinator he lapped at incredible times, lowering the total time of the Sprint by more than two seconds compared to last year (which he also won) and managing to keep Bagnaia, second for the entire race, at a safe distance.
“I didn’t expect to make this start!” Martin explained to the journalists he met after the Sprint. “But having this position right from the start, I concentrated on driving 100%. I had a great race, keeping Pecco two or three tenths away was not easy at all, but in the end I also had a small gap that I could manage. I had a reaction at the start, but I think Pecco had problems because at the start we are always similar. But I’m happy to have arrived in the lead at the first corner”.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Today’s triumph confirms his championship lead and, no matter how Sunday’s race goes, Martin will be leading the next race: “Well, I don’t care. The important thing is to give 100% and to have won today. Tomorrow I’ll give my all and try to repeat myself. It will be difficult, especially replicating the start will be complicated. However, I see myself with options, I have the pace… But it will be a very tough race”.
“In the end I am very happy because I won,” continued the rider from Madrid. “I have had several second places in a row, if I had finished second today I would have been happy anyway. In the race it seemed like he was catching up with me, but I attacked again and opened up a gap. I am happy, but focused on tomorrow, because it will be very difficult. I will try to prepare for the first corners because they will be crucial for the long race.”
Tomorrow’s 27-lap race will be incredibly long, considering how fierce the competition will be and how crucial the tyre choice will be. If today everyone went with the same choice, tomorrow will be an unknown: “I haven’t decided on the rear tyre yet, it will be a very difficult decision. Everyone says they will go with the soft, but I don’t believe it, I think it’s more of a strategy. The medium works very well, but if everyone goes with the soft and you go with the medium, you can suffer at the start of the race, but maybe not afterwards. Rain? If it’s a flag-to-flag we will have to minimise the risks”.
Rain is indeed a threat for tomorrow’s race, which at the moment seems dry according to the forecast, but the weather changes very quickly. Despite this, the Pramac rider’s goal is to replicate the excellent result not only of today, but also of last year, where he dominated by winning both the Sprint and the long race: “Repeating last year’s feat would be beautiful, I have never won two years in a row on the same track, it’s an extra challenge that I have in my career and I hope it will be tomorrow!”.
In this situation, will Martin find an ally or an enemy? Franco Morbidelli returned to the top positions on his home track, climbing onto the podium after a solid and surprising Sprint. Tomorrow he could be in the game, but will he be more of an ally of Bagnaia being part of the Academy or will he have team spirit and support his boxmate Martin? The Spaniard does not ask himself this question: “Morbidelli? I don’t need help, the only thing you need is that, in case of a fight, your teammate doesn’t knock you down. It’s something you can’t control with your opponents, but with your teammate you can. I hope he can fight for the win, but at least we don’t have contact! In the end when you think about a win it’s difficult to think about things, but between teammates you notice”.
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