MotoGP | Martin: “Others strong with new tyres, I’m competitive with used tyres”

Leading the first free practice session and second in the afternoon session with a very used tyre: Jorge Martin can consider himself satisfied with Friday at the German Grand Prix, where he arrives as the leader of the championship and as one of the favourites for the races. The Pramac rider beat Marc Marquez by a tenth by fitting the soft tyre in free practice 1, while he only gave in to Maverick Vinales in a complicated afternoon, where he however managed to be among the best with tyres that were definitely under stress.

Low temperatures and icy winds made life difficult for the drivers on an already treacherous track like the Sachsenring, which is left-handed and therefore puts the right side of the tire to the test. In difficult conditions for everyone, the championship leader was one of the best performers of the day, with a time that allowed him not only to grab direct Q2, but to be close to the top.

“It was a positive day, a little strange because of the conditions,” Martin explained. “With so much wind it was difficult to be consistent, but I felt good from the morning and I was able to focus on the details. I didn’t need a drastic change like in Mugello or Assen, for example, which made me lose a lot of time. You have to understand if the changes are good or bad, discard things. Here the bike works, you just have to refine the details to improve and to feel a little more comfortable.”

Unlike last weekend, where he had already felt in difficulty on Friday, Martin found a more “comfortable” Desmosedici GP24, which allowed him to find the right feeling right away. The Spaniard was one of the few who did not suffer the many crashes we saw on this German Friday: “The temperature was very close to the limit and perhaps the medium tyre was a little too soft, but it was too cold to fit the hard. It’s a compromise, I think the crashes didn’t depend too much on the conditions, I felt enough grip especially on the front. It’s complicated to adapt, but it seemed strange to see so many crashes”.

In an afternoon session characterized by many incidents, there were continuous changes of position, with a waltz of passages in the top 10 and a ranking that stabilized only with the checkered flag: “I had the work organized, it is also true that I did not ride with the same tires as the others. When the others put on the new tire in the afternoon, I continued with the one used from the morning and I was still competitive. But obviously when you put on the new tire there are many changes of position, but they are not real. They simply put on the new tire. I was always there without dominating, but I knew where I was and I am quite happy. I tried all the front tires and all the rear ones. I think we did a great job “.

Martin only missed the time attack on Friday at the Sachsenring, but he already knows where to improve: “In the time attack we were lowering by three tenths and I was getting closer to Maverick. But I was on the verge of crashing and had to abort the lap. On the second attempt I suffered a lot with the front. We have to improve the front part, we wear the front tyre too much and it will be key”.

On the flying lap we saw a Vinales in great shape, however the Pramac rider believes that in terms of pace the Aprilia rider is not among the best. If he looks at the pace, in fact, Martin points to himself and Pecco Bagnaia as the riders who can compete: “There is a corner where I lose to both Pecco and Marc, I have to fix it. For the rest, I ride well, comfortable and fast, so I am happy with the work. Pecco says that he and I are the strongest? Definitely. Maverick did a great time with new tyres, but in terms of pace I did not see him as very competitive. Instead Pecco and I are perhaps one step ahead. Bagnaia in the second attempt was unable to lower the time, the tyre drops a lot, especially the front, and it will be key to understand this in qualifying too”.