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What happened to Martin on Sunday in Qatar? It’s the mystery that the MotoGP will take with it until the end of the season. Everyone knows the narrative: after winning the Sprint Race on Saturday at Losail, Jorge was in serious difficulty in the long race, to the extent that he finished in 10th place, almost 15 seconds behind the winner. The Pramac team had raised doubts about the rear tire. Michelin had ruled out tire defects after a few days, promising more in-depth analyses, but they haven’t yet received the results.
Paolo Campinoti’s Team Manager, Gino Borsoi, spoke on the matter with AS: “An analysis was carried out by Pramac and Ducati. What emerged, in terms of riding and set up, was that there were no errors and no problems,” he said, referring to the Qatar race.
In the pages of the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, Michelin Manager PieroTaramasso stated that it was Martin who had some problems with his performance.
“I like to think that he’s not pointing a finger directly at Jorge, because he’s an intelligent person, and that he’s not saying that Jorge hasn’t done his job well,” Borsoi commented. “I want to emphasize this, but I must also say that, to date, we’re still waiting for a response from Michelin for a more complete analysis. A month before the race, we’re still waiting.”
Gino doesn’t think Martin was consciously given a faulty tire (“We don’t believe in a conspiracy at all. I think it was an unfortunate Sunday after a spectacular Saturday, and that’s it. It’s racing.”), but he wants an answer from Michelin, because the team and Ducati didn't find one.
“Dall’Igna took charge of a team, in order to analyze the bike and the tire,” Borsoi stressed. “There was a meeting on Thursday in Valencia where Michelin was present, and the conclusion is that the bike wasn’t a problem, that the temperature of the tires at the start was even better than the previous day, with four degrees more, and that Jorge’s riding wasn’t a problem either, with the same gas and the same use of the clutch as the day before. I’d like to point out that Jorge has always been one of the best Ducati riders at the start, and I don’t think he forgot how to ride on Sunday in Qatar.”
