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Martin’s climb up the rankings doesn’t seem to want to stop. With seven consecutive podiums, the Spanish rider has been racking up the points, three away from Bagnaia’s Ducati. With six races left (and six sprint races), the race for the title is almost coming to an end, and the battle is now wide open, with three close races, where any mistake could cost them dearly. Jorge Martin’s almost zen-like calmness is not even affected by the news of Marquez’s arrival in Ducati. He’s focused on a single goal: the race on the Indonesian circuit. He’ll worry about the upcoming challenges later.
“Being concentrated, race by race, is the strategy that has led us to this point,” the Spanish rider explained. “The gap between us (with Bagnaia) is so short, that it seems like we have to face a separate championship made up of six races. The goal, as always, will be to do well and get the best possible result in every single race. Every little thing could make a difference.”
Martin said his plans at the beginning of the season were very different.
“At the beginning of the season, I had resolved to finish in the first three,” the Pramac team rider confessed. “And I think I’ve already almost achieved this. So, anything more would already be satisfactory in itself. However, I hope I won’t interrupt the positive streak of success we’ve had in these last stages of the championship.”
After an idyllic weekend in Motegi, the Spanish rider was dominating the Japanese race weekend, winning the sprint, then in the race, which was, however, interrupted by the excessive rain that poured down on the Japanese circuit. Martin compared this to last season when the his performance had been less consistent than it is now.
“At the moment, I feel really competitive. Compared to last year, I managed to progress, and I also make fewer mistakes than in the past.”
The news of Marc Marquez’s move to Gresini – which was made official today – cannot fail to interest the other Ducati riders with whom the eight-time champion will share data starting next year. It’ll also be an opportunity for discussion and challenge for the Spanish rider.
“It’s going to be a great challenge to have him in the Ducati family, both for us and for him. Changing bikes is never easy,” he emphasized. “But the bike is really competitive, and I’m convinced that Marc will be able to adapt quickly. To be able to compare data with one of the greatest riders in the history of this sport will be very interesting.”
After all, we’ve already seen the competitiveness of the Ducati GP2023 this year. Some say Marquez will be competitive from the very start in Qatar next year.
“It’s difficult to make predictions at this point. We’ll know more after Valencia, when and if Marc can already try out the Ducati. However, I think we can expect a lot from him, and I believe that he’ll be among the protagonists in the fight for the title in 2024.”
