The Thai Grand Prix closes the first MotoGP hat-trick which until now has been as decisive as it is surprising. The fight for the world championship now seems more and more to be a question between Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin, with the latter taking the overall lead in the Sprint in Indonesia, but making two errors which made him slip -27 points behind the champion world in charge, leader again with masterly performances.
Buriram will be the scene of a new duel, with the title contenders ready to battle as early as Friday, when they will take to the track for the first free practice. The Pramac rider is fired up and determined to redeem himself after the disappointment of the long race in Mandalika, where he crashed when he was in the lead, and that of Phillip Island, in which he was betrayed by the choice of tyres, which turned out to be incorrect: “The last two The weeks have been very difficult and even a little painful. Once the crash, another time the wrong choice of tires…”.
“After winning the race in Indonesia, I also hoped I had made the right choice in Australia, but the last four laps were a nightmare. I tried to put in all my ability to try not to fall and to be fast. It was complicated, but it went the way it went. Let’s look ahead and see how this weekend goes,” she says.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Martin, however, appears to be fierce and is ready not to make any more mistakes: “But I managed to be fast and this keeps me alive. I know the speed is there. When there is a new track everything can change, but last year I went well and I hope I can still be fast and strong. The mentality is always to go on the attack and try to win both races.”
“It’s true that sometimes when you go fast with both tires it’s difficult to choose,” he declares, justifying the choice made. I thought, maybe they even told me, that the wear at Phillip Island would be very similar and I tried. Honestly, I didn’t think it was a big risk, I thought it was the right choice. Obviously we talked about it with the team, but I have to make fewer mistakes than my rivals.”
But now it’s time to think about the Thai Grand Prix, which will add another step to the fight for the world championship. Last year, the front row in qualifying was the prerogative of the Ducatis, with Marco Bezzecchi in pole position ahead of Martin, second, and Bagnaia, third: “Last year we monopolized the front row, the pace of the Ducatis is I was very strong so I expect a very close battle. I remember that Marc was very strong, so we’ll see what happens.”
The season finale is approaching and the pressure is rising more and more. Do the jabs at their respective rivals also contribute? A photo that Martin posted on social media has gone viral, portraying him in front of a wall painted with a writing that reads: “No risk, no story”. Could this be a message to Bagnaia? “I saw this wall painted by different artists, I found that writing and I thought it was the photo I had to take. I think it reflects my mentality a bit, my riding style. Of course, I don’t want to risk too much… Not even with the tyres.” The rivalry with Pecco? There’s no reason why we shouldn’t chat with each other. We have a great relationship and respect each other a lot. then, on the track we try to win and therefore defeat the opponent.”
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