– Aprilia factory rider Jorge Martin steadily improved over the course of the Italy weekend in Mugello, gaining especially in confidence. Although he did not quite manage the big breakthrough in the form of a first place in Mugello, the Spaniard knows why.
Read more Ottaviani wins season opener of the DTM eSports Championship
In Friday afternoon’s practice, Martin initially secured direct entry to Q2 for Saturday as the eighth fastest by a narrow margin. After the practice, he admitted that the previous race weekend in Barcelona was still haunting his mind. Including the Monday test, Martin had a staggering six(!) crashes in Barcelona.
Barcelona was still haunting Martin’s mind on Friday
“Barcelona was really a disaster for my confidence,” Martin openly admitted in Mugello. “All those crashes meant that here I always feel like I might crash again at any moment. We need to work on that,” said the Spaniard on Friday of the Mugello weekend.
When specifically asked if he needed to work on his confidence, the 2024 MotoGP world champion replied: “Exactly. I need to work on my confidence. For that, I need feedback from the bike, but I also have to adjust my riding style here and there a bit.”
Photo gallery: The highest MotoGP top speeds
Done and dusted. After setting the MotoGP top speed record in the second free practice on Saturday morning, Martin qualified third on Saturday morning – beaten only by his teammate Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez on the identical Aprilia RS-GP26 of the Trackhouse team.
“Fortunately, we already knew the direction we needed to go. That worked well,” says Martin, highlighting about the Mugello Circuit: “This is one of the tracks where a lot of feeling is needed. A small change can already make a big difference here.”
In the sprint on Saturday afternoon, Martin finished second behind winner Fernandez. The two were the only ones in the 22-rider field to choose the medium rear tire. “Until then, I had already tried all the tires. When I was told that Raul was going for the medium, I took the risk. Although, it wasn’t really a risk because I had already tried all the tires,” said Martin.
Tire choice on Saturday “not a real risk”
“For me, it was the right decision. Although the wear with the medium was even a bit higher [than with the soft], because it tended to spin more easily. But for me, based on my feeling and the temperature, it was the right choice,” explains Martin. Aprilia teammate Bezzecchi was one of 20 riders on the soft rear tire in the sprint. He finished “only” in P4, which was partly due to a mistake right in the first corner.
Read more Dodge confirms new Charger Hellcat with over 700 hp
Martin, however, drew a satisfied interim conclusion of his Mugello weekend after the sprint: “I find more confidence from lap to lap. The whole thing reminds me a bit of the start of the season.”
“Back then, the bike was new to me, so I had to build my confidence lap by lap. Barcelona was, as I said, a disaster in this respect. That I didn’t crash again here right away helped me. And in the [sprint] race, I also began to feel the limit again,” said Martin.
The weekend concluded with the Grand Prix on Sunday. Martin again finished second, behind teammate Bezzecchi, while in this case it was Fernandez who lost the chance for a top-3 result right in turn 1. The Trackhouse rider ultimately finished only in P8, was classified only in P9 due to a penalty, and to top it all off, he has to come to terms with the fact that he probably has no future at Trackhouse.
No chance against Marco Bezzecchi on Sunday
Quite different for Martin. After the Mugello weekend, where he improved day by day, he now wants to generate positive momentum. “I am very satisfied with this solid weekend here in Mugello. On Friday we still had problems, but we made a big step for Saturday and improved again on Sunday.”
“But I believe,” Martin continues, “that there are still areas where we can improve. Marco is faster than me. I think it’s just a matter of time until I improve in these areas as well.” Martin does not reveal which areas these are specifically but explains that “the combination of myself and the bike is not yet perfect.” “When I overtook ‘Pecco’, I thought I had a chance to catch Marco as well, but this time he was simply faster than me.”
“Regardless, I believe the direction we have taken is right. I just try to keep improving steadily. Marco makes sure that I keep pushing my limits further and further by trying to beat him. In the end, that helps the entire factory,” says the Aprilia factory rider from Spain.
Read more Piers Thynne: Why he is looking for a new challenge at Williams
