MotoGP | Martin betrayed by track limits: “The warning made me lose my concentration”

The fight for the World Championship is tighter than ever and in the Sprint at Misano Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia renewed the challenge on equal terms. The reigning world champion prevailed, but the Spaniard still maintained his lead in the standings, arriving at Sunday’s race as leader with a 4-point advantage. The Pramac team rider missed out on pole by two tenths and, after a lightning start in the Sprint, was outwitted by Bagnaia.

“The 4-point advantage? Up until two races ago I was 10 points ahead, so it’s not something that obsesses me. But it’s a bit of a bitter second place, having lost the race due to a small mistake bothers me more. But I’m satisfied with the day, I improved the time attack a lot, I had a good start and the pace was incredible,” said the Madrid native.

But what happened? Why did Martin make a mistake when he was leading and holding off his championship rival? It all comes from the track limits, which drivers must respect, or else they will face a Long Lap. But first, a warning came up on the dashboard and Martin received the notice from Race Direction. This distracted him, leading him to make the mistake that would prove fatal for his victory: “I only had a message about the track limits that distracted me a bit, from there I lost the line and then Pecco overtook me”.

“If we had had the radio? They would have decided when to give me the message. Instead, it appeared right on the bend, it took just a thousandth of a second and I lost the braking point. I think it is also important to decide an area where to send a message, because otherwise it can become dangerous. Also, the light is the same color as the message that warns you when the gear doesn’t engage. I had to look to see if it was the gearbox, but it was the track limits,” he explained, going into detail.

Putting the mistake aside, Martin believes that victory could have been within reach: “More than having lost the race, I could have won it. When I tried to close, his bike was already there and I had to stay on the outside. Then I tried to catch him as best I could, I finished very close to him. I think it would have been very difficult to pass me without that mistake. He could have tried and we could have both ended up on the ground. But I think that on this track, with such a similar pace it is very difficult. I think we are taking the bike to a level that has never been seen before. I don’t know if it’s the bike, if it’s us…”.

“In a couple of laps I could have tried to overtake Pecco and I saw that even staying behind you can counterattack. The soft? I was tempted to put on the medium, but then I followed what the others were doing and I put on the soft, but with the medium it would have been a different story. Maybe I was influenced a little by what happened two weeks ago and also what happened last year in Australia,” Martin acknowledged.

However, for the long race it seems that the medium could be the most popular solution and this plays in favor of the Pramac rider: “But tomorrow we will have another chance, the first laps are key and we have to repeat what I did today. I think I have more potential to do well with the medium, I feel more comfortable, I get tired less and everything comes easier to me. My bike works better with the medium, so I hope to make a step forward tomorrow”.