The fight for the title is reaching its final phase, there are now only a few races left at the end of the season and the contenders are drastically reduced: although the mathematics does not yet cut them off completely, Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez are increasingly distant from the two greats favourites, Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia. The Pramac rider arrives at Motegi as championship leader, with a 21 point advantage over the reigning world champion, who this year he is forced to chase at this stage of the season.
Last year, Martin triumphed in both the Sprint and the Sunday race, reducing the gap in the championship to then leader Bagnaia. Now the roles are reversed and it is the Spaniard who is kicked out. How things change after a year: “I arrive with a 21 point advantage, last year I was at -18. So it means that I did things better than last year. What happened to me last year helped me a lot. When you suffer, decide to act and change. I experienced the defeat badly, so I took the measures I thought were appropriate to improve. Now I want to give my best, I want to do my best regardless of what he does. I have the potential to win like I did last year and I will try, I will try to bring home as many points as possible.”
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
If the situation in the championship has changed, it means that the first to implement changes was Martin himself. After the bitter disappointment of 2023, the Pramac rider feels he has matured and now presents himself as the strongest: “I feel very strong. I wouldn’t say faster than ever, because I think last year I was faster. Above all, Pecco has taken a step forward at this stage of the season, last year he struggled more at this point. But I feel stronger in general, I have worked in every area. I feel better, stronger… I can say I feel stronger than last year. Maybe I’m a more mature rider, more complete in general. Last year I had more difference than the others, but now everything is more balanced.”
Now the focus is on Martin and Bagnaia, who are the two main contenders for the title. Thus, the usual Thursday conference saw only the two of them as protagonists, a sign that the battle is becoming increasingly intense: “Pecco and I in a conference alone? I take it well, last year I experienced it a little worse. The pressure was the same, but maybe I wasn’t able to handle it. I feel good, I can’t wait to get on the track and have fun. I think Pecco is a great champion, he won two consecutive titles in MotoGP. He has a lot of experience and already knows what happens in these situations. For me it’s a pleasure to be able to fight with him. The level shown by him, Enea and Marc also makes me a better rider. So I’m happy to fight with them.”
#MotoGP #Martin #experienced #defeat #badly #year #stronger