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MotoGP, Martìn: “I don't know how I did that lap, I’ll have to look at the data!”

“Towards the middle of the season, we were lost. We made too many changes to the front of my Ducati. All I had to do was go back to my normal set-up and go back to being super fast. Tomorrow will be hard, but I have a good pace.”

MotoGP: Martìn: “I don't know how I did that lap, I’ll have to look at the data!”

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Jorge Martìn is back to being the “Martinator” in qualifying, after doing the same seven days ago at Phillip Island. In Sepang, the Spanish rider was amazingly fast in Q2, crushing the Malaysian-track record and conquering a pole that no one can question. Even Bagnaia  who, without the fall that put him out of the game, wouldn’t have had the chance to score a time that would have competed with Jorge’s unbelievable reference. Despite not having been chosen by Ducati for the official team in 2023, he confirms himself as a rider who is capable of offering picture-perfect performances when it’s his day. 

Now he’ll have to try to repeat the same tomorrow in the race and show us that pragmatism which might have been lacking too many times so far, preventing him from snatching the official bike from Bastianini, who’ll be lining up with him on the grid. There seems to have always be an open challenge between them, and you can bet that tomorrow’s race will be lots of fun. Jorge proved once again to be great in qualifying, while we know that Enea can be considered more of a race rider, who can better manage tires during a Grand Prix and also better exploit opportunities. Two different ways to approach the MotoGP but both able to guarantee a rosy future for Ducati. 

It’s certainly always difficult to get a 1’57” in Sepang, and I didn’t think I could,” Jorge commented. “In the first run, I made mistakes, but given the time I got, I thought it was possible to reach  fifty-seven. I saw the other riders improve a lot, so I pushed hard, and I can’t wait to check the lap data to see how he managed to do it, because I think I was really at the limit. It was amazing, and I’m really happy.

Why did you fall in the FP4?
At first, I was pushing maybe too much at nine in the FP3. I let off the brakes too early and fell. But it actually wasn’t a big problem because after I got on the second bike, and despite having a different set-up, I immediately felt good. I lost a bit of confidence in that corner, but then I got it back again in qualifying.

Now you're back to being the real Martinator?
We were lost in mid season with the front of my bike. We made a lot of changes, and I lost confidence. But working with my normal set-up, I was always super fast, so it was enough to get back to that, to be really competitive again.

Have you already chosen the tires for tomorrow?
I still don’t know which tires to choose. I have a good pace. I thought I had a good pace. I feel like I’m one of the fastest. It’ll be hard from a physical perspective. I’ll have to manage my force but, in the end, it’ll be the same for everyone, so that’s fine.”

Is there a point on the track that’s more risky for falls, where it’s easier to make mistakes?
There are corners here with lots of holes. It often doesn’t depend on your style. I fell at nine. Maybe that one’s the worst, but it’s actually one of my favorites.

 

Translated by Leila Myftija
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