During the Indian GP at the Buddh circuit, one of the moments that kept spectators on the edge of their seats was when Jorge Martin’s racing suit unexpectedly unzipped during the race. This incident was reminiscent of a similar situation that Fabio Quartararo faced in Barcelona, which resulted in a penalty for him.
In the heat of the moment, the Pramac rider, Martin, recalled Quartararo’s incident and did everything in his power to avoid a similar fate. “It was a critical moment. Perhaps I hadn’t properly fastened my suit. With the prevailing temperature, there might be some critical moments. But when I saw it opening, I thought about where to close it to prevent it from fully opening. I figured that between turns 11 and 12, I might lose less time than in the middle of the straight. It took me a while, but I managed to close it, and there were no consequences. I thought something similar to what happened to Quartararo in Montmelò might happen to me, but I managed to get through everything that happened,” Martin shared with DAZN.
Interestingly, after the race, Martin discussed his wardrobe malfunction with both Fabio and Bezzecchi on the podium. “It completely opened,” he said, much to the surprise of both, especially since Alpinestars had reinforced the suit with a double velcro closure after the ‘Quartararo case’.
There’s speculation that Martin might have intentionally left a small part of his suit unzipped to get some relief from the scorching heat at the Buddh circuit. If this was the case, the wind during the race could have caused the zipper to open further. It’s worth noting that Martin’s chin strap remained fastened, unlike what happened with the Yamaha rider, Quartararo.