Saturday at Motegi was not one of the most fruitful days of the season for Jorge Martin, who was forced to limit the damage in the Sprint after a qualifying session thrown into the gravel. The championship leader crashed just as he was completing his fastest lap in the final part of the session, thus being forced to start from 11th position on the starting grid.
“It wasn’t exactly a mistake because it was raining and it was difficult not to fall!”, explained the Pramac rider on Saturday afternoon of the Japanese Grand Prix. “I was trying to do a great lap, I lost the front. He pushes himself to the maximum, but it’s not the best condition. It’s clear that things always happen in this World Cup, some good, some less so. Today I crashed in qualifying and it’s clear that starting eleventh isn’t the best when your rival is second.”
However, in the Sprint the world championship leader was able to pull off a good comeback which allowed him to cross the finish line in fourth place, behind Marc Marquez. The weather conditions misled the riders a bit, as at a certain point in the race they were more cautious due to the arrival of the rain. Despite the difficulties, a fourth place after an uphill qualifying is an excellent result for Martin.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“After qualifying, I’m happy with the result,” explains the Spaniard. “It would have gone better if I had started further up the front, but starting from 11th position was the best I could do today. I lost faith when a few drops of rain fell. I didn’t feel like I could push and I lost ground to the riders in front. But in dry conditions I would have had the potential to fight with them, tomorrow I hope to be there.”
Marc Marquez did better than him, starting ninth and finishing on the podium, overtaking Martin in the early stages of the race and no longer allowing him to attack him: “Behind Marc I saw things to improve for tomorrow. He has learned some things and I think he is now the reference for Ducati. The fourth sector does it impressively while I don’t drive well there. My position on the bike is not comfortable, I struggle and I have to find a natural position, I felt like a Moto3 rider, like a rookie.”
Despite Pecco Bagnaia’s victory, the Spaniard remains world leader with 15 points ahead of the reigning world champion. But for the long race, the Madrid native believes that the favorite is not a Ducati rider: “Pedro wanted to win at all costs, I think he is the favorite for Sunday’s race. For me it’s a little more complicated, but I see myself fighting for second or third position.”
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