Confidence almost at its maximum. That’s how Jorge Martín feels at the end of the MotoGP preseason tests, with the Spanish rider considering that it will be very difficult for his opponents to “keep up the pace” given the improvements made by Ducati during the winter.
Usually one of the fastest riders, Martín set his best lap time on the second day of testing at 1m51.466s and admitted that he didn’t even push himself to the limit, and that the soft tire he tested left him with a very positive impression: ‘I wasn’t pushing that hard. I was pushing the pace, of course, but I think it was the first attack with the soft tire in these two days, and on the first lap you always want to understand the sensations. I tried the lap but I still had a lot more left in that tire, but it’s not something that worries me. When the time comes, I will do it [a full attack], but the tire is certainly very good and I really liked it.’
In a general overview of the preseason, Martín concluded: ‘I was very competitive in Malaysia, competitive here, so overall I felt very good. Physically, I also felt very good and the only thing that worries me is the slight vibration I have, but in terms of race preparation, I feel like we have taken a big step forward compared to last season. I think we improved our pace by a second, or 0.8s, and it will be difficult for other brands to keep up with Ducati’s pace. It seems that Aprilia has also improved a bit, but we are super competitive.’
Less than two weeks left until the start of the season.
