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The first taste of the championship was more than positive for Jorge Martin, victorious in the first sprint on the Qatar circuit and third on the podium on Sunday. Three points behind the reigning champion, reigniting a battle that has all the characteristics of a personal revenge for the Spaniard against Bagnaia. A revenge not only on a personal level with a view to the title - the championship is just starting - but also in view of an equally important objective: the much-coveted second seat in the official Ducati team.
Because while it is true that in Pramac Jorge Martin has access to a GP24 with the same performance as his direct rival, for a rider the official seat still has that charm, prestige and treatment that make all the difference, and the Spaniard seems to have now become tired of waiting, thanks to the excellent results last season. In this very personal challenge of his, with the rider market having already played its first cards, such as the signing of Aldeguer in Pramac for 2025, the Spaniard will still have to deal with two top seeds: Bastianini and the new Ducati rider Marc Marquez. The 2024 season at Ducati promises sparks, and not just on the track.
"In Qatar we started well, it's difficult to make predictions here in Portimao - the Spaniard said - last year we achieved a good result, the pace was good. It is certainly one of the most difficult circuits where the rider can really make the difference because there are many elevation changes, you need to know how to manage the throttle well and avoid wheelies with the front. I'm not saying that the bike is secondary, but it certainly has a smaller impact than on other circuits. Overall we are in excellent shape, and even though I had some difficulties with the GP24, I am convinced that we are working in the right direction to improve the sensations on the bike."
In the last race Pecco's strategy was to attack from the very first laps. Will you revise your way of approaching the race here in Portimao?
"In Qatar I opted for a calmer start to the race, but it seems that Pecco opted for the opposite. We are very close in terms of performance and being at the front is obviously an advantage, but each race must be tackled individually, there are many variables, from the track to the weather, to the tire pressure, and in all of this you also need to analyze what you think your rivals will do. Here in Portimao, however, we won't have the problem of having to manage the tires too much, so if we don't have that vibration problem we could try a different approach."
There was the news a few days ago about the signing of Fermin Aldeguer with Pramac from next year. What do you think of this decision and how do you explain this abundance of Spanish riders in MotoGP?
"I want to congratulate Fermin, he is a good friend and I think he deserved it. His situation is similar to mine, he too will arrive in Pramac with a factory bike. As for the abundance of Spaniards... perhaps it is thanks to the excellent weather that we have in Spain! - he joked - in reality we have excellent schools and many riders come to us to train, and this contributes to the growth of many talents".
With the signing of Pecco and Aldeguer, the places available at Ducati have been reduced, have you already given yourself a time limit to decide on your future?
"It doesn't depend on me, what I can do is try to give my all on the bike, and I hope to be able to reach an agreement with Ducati that makes both of us satisfied. It's clear, however, that I think my time in Pramac is coming to an end, after four years I would like to aim for an official team or at least I want to try. In Qatar I showed my potential and I still have a lot of time to prove it again, so I think it's early to talk about my future at this moment."
At the moment, would you prefer to go up against Bastianini or Marc Marquez for the second seat in the official Ducati team?
"We'll see what happens during the year, at the end of the games I just want to win, and at the moment the best Ducati rider is Pecco who is doing better than me. There's still time to think about it, I'm calm and the rider market is just started and the situation is constantly changing."
Aprilia and Aleix gave an excellent show of strength in the sprint in Qatar. Do you see them among the main rivals this year?
"I think they are very strong, we had already seen it in the tests in Malaysia during the race simulation, and they also demonstrated it in Qatar during the sprint. At the end of the race, if Aleix had had three more laps he would have won, while on Sunday they had some problems. The three European manufacturers are certainly in advantage at the moment."
How far is the GP24 from the GP23 in terms of tenths per lap?
"I had difficulty deciding during the tests, because in some aspects they are very similar. It is certainly positive that Pecco and I have the same base, this will allow me to fight with him on equal terms. Ducati has made small steps forward but it is difficult to quantify them in terms of tenths per lap, there are many variables."
