Jorge Martin arrives in Mandalika, home of the Indonesian Grand Prix, as the leader of the World Championship with 24 points over the two-time reigning MotoGP World Champion, Francesco Bagnaia, but also with a great opportunity to extend his lead considering the performances he was capable of in 2023 before crashing while comfortably leading.
The Ducati Prima Pramac team rider knows that, from now on, making as few mistakes as possible will be one of the keys to winning the long-awaited World Riders’ title. Perhaps, in fact, it will be the most important aspect together with consistency of performance.
“It’s definitely going to be a busy month and a half but we can’t wait to get started,” the Spaniard said at Thursday’s press conference in Mandalika. “It’s going to be different tracks, different situations, but now we’re here in Indonesia and it’s definitely going to be difficult. The track is always a bit dirty, it’s going to be very important not to make any mistakes over the weekend and we’ll try to do our best.”
“I was definitely very strong here. I won the Sprint and was leading with a 3-second advantage before I crashed. Maybe I was a little too optimistic, but I think I can be competitive as usual. Now head down and keep the same level throughout the weekend. I’ll try to be more focused, trying to keep the same level I had in the past weeks.”
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo credit: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
In this regard, Martin will have to be good at managing the pressure that will inevitably grow from weekend to weekend, from shift to shift, until we get to the decisive acts of the season.
“My approach for the rest of the season? The more pressure I put on myself, the more difficult things become. So I prefer to focus more on my performance. If I start thinking too much, then I make mistakes. For my part, I want to continue like this, giving 100% in every situation and that’s the way I’ll use to avoid pressure.”
The riders at the conference, including Jorge, were asked about the almost total freezing of the bikes for next season, but also about Michelin’s choice not to debut the new front tyres next season.
“I honestly don’t know what to think about the freezing of the bikes, also because next year I won’t be racing with a Ducati. I will be racing with Aprilia and we will do our best at that time.”
“As for the tyres, we know that Michelin makes them very well, they are very good. It is true that I really like riding with new tyres, they are also very suitable for my style and I would have liked to have them next year, but you have to do your best with the material you have available”, concluded the Spanish rider of the Pramac team.
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