Jorge Martín strictly followed his plan and continues to depend on himself to become MotoGP world champion next week in Valencia. With a brilliant victory under the spotlight in the race to sprint of the Qatar GP, the Madrid native ensured that the battle for the title with Pecco Bagnaia reaches the last grand prix of the year after cutting seven points from the current champion. With his eighth win of the year in the new short race format on Saturday, the Spanish contender once again showed that no driver has been able to beat him in terms of pace and speed this season. This Sunday (6:00 p.m., DAZN), in the long race, he could even make another push and take the lead heading into the final assault.
Martín knew how to overcome a regular Friday and a more modest qualifying session than he would have liked. Nervous in free practice and disappointed with his fifth place on the grid, he lowered his head and left frustration behind to unleash his most aggressive driving, as he already warned in his confrontation with the current champion this Thursday, in the test at sprint. “Maybe I’m going to take a chance,” she said then. And boy did she do it. In the first corner, paired with the number one and his great rival, who started fourth, he did not hesitate to put his bike and his elbow into her to trace on the inside and overtake her as soon as she started. “On Friday I felt too much pressure and today I decided: ‘let it be what it has to be,’” he said after winning.
His hot driving took a bad turn after his good start, as he braked and Bagnaia took advantage to regain the initial advantage. Furthermore, Marc Márquez, always a bad customer in hand-to-hand combat, took him a little further away from his desired prey. Luckily for him, the long finish line and the top speed of his Desmosedici allowed him to leave the Honda behind and get back within striking distance of his great rival on the second lap. The man from Madrid did not wait another turn. Again at the limit, putting his bike and his body, he passed the Italian, lightly touching him at the moment of maximum inclination for both in turn 10. goodbyethe candidate for the champion seemed to tell him, who had no choice but to give up.
Martín then unleashed an infernal pace and went after those in front, with Bagnaia remaining stranded in fifth position, unable to get more pace from his official Ducati. “For us it has been a disaster, for others it has not,” said the current champion in reference to his lack of sensations with the same tire that he had ridden perfectly shortly before. “It’s a little strange what I felt today, but sometimes it can happen,” he said about his bad feelings with the rear tire. Asked about his explosive hand-to-hand combat with Martín, he did not hesitate either: “There are pilots who prefer to fly like that. “It’s very aggressive and physical, and we’ve touched each other… but I like everything to be open.”
In the fifth lap, the Spaniard was already thinking only about winning and cutting the maximum number of points from the still World Championship leader. The Turin native maintains a seven-point advantage, but his sporting and mental rhythm is now undoubtedly led by his rival. Álex Márquez and Luca Marini, the other Ducatis featured in the umpteenth festival of the year for the Bologna factory, could not do much against him, which placed five motorcycles in the top five positions at the end of the action.
The Madrid native was unleashed in the lead from the sixth lap and flew to prevent Fabio DiGiannantonio, the only one who followed him closely, from being able to take away a victory that is another coup d’état in this spectacular closing of the World Cup. The podium was completed by Marini, author of the pole. “Today I had confidence in myself,” commented the winner, very satisfied for having remained calm after his bad braking and finding himself behind Bagnaia and Márquez in the initial turn. “I have had to calm down, accept that situation. I was able to find my rhythm and overtake everyone, and also push harder than DiGiannantonio to win. I think it was my best victory of the year sprint”he added.
Martín has been the driver who has best known how to take advantage of the explosiveness of the new format. His eight victories are unparalleled and Bagnaia, for example, has only been able to win four times at sprint. The short races, with less strategy and almost always held at full throttle, seem tailor-made for their style, one of the most aggressive in the championship. His rival, for now, has been able to hold on, making the most of Sundays, where he has been able to maintain distance through better strategies and a more cerebral style.
“Today we had the potential to win and we finished fifth. We hope to find tomorrow what we need to win,” the Italian resigned, visibly upset with his team. Even though the tension is at its highest and any mistake can define the name of the champion, both contenders aim to give their best and let themselves go. “I have to enjoy riding the bike,” says Martín to define the key element that will make him a champion. He is clear. There will be sparks this Sunday before the grand final. If he wins, he will continue to depend on himself regardless of Bagnaia or anyone else.
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