When it seemed like he had secured second place behind Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati), Jorge Martín was surprised by Enea Bastianini (Ducati) on the last corner and let himself be overtaken – finishing the MotoGP Italian GP race in third.
The Pramac rider was frustrated with the mistake, but said in a press conference that it turned out to be a satisfactory result after all the difficulties he had: ‘It is true that it was an interesting race. I am very happy now watching from the outside after a great frustration after the last lap maneuver. But I think before the race I would have signed for a podium for sure. Yesterday I had many difficulties, I was really in crisis, let’s say. And we improved a lot from yesterday. Three laps from the end I was even quite close to Pecco. It is true that one thing is to be close and another is to be close enough to make the maneuver – I was not that close. We were much more competitive than last season, so I think we are doing a great job. I think we are always competitive, I have been on the podium every weekend. It is true that this track already had Pecco’s name on it on Thursday, so at least being close is very positive‘.
Regarding the crash he suffered in the Sprint race, Martín admitted that the causes are still unknown: ‘I think I still don’t know why I fell, but sometimes this happens. It’s not the first time we’ve seen it: it happened to me in Jerez, it happened to Pecco in Montmeló in the Sprint. We have to solve this problem, because falling without knowing why is not good for confidence‘.
However, there is something that left the 2023 runner-up particularly pleased, after going against his usual strategy: ‘I am happy because normally my strategy is not to touch the bike, leaving everything as it is and trying to understand how to be fast. But from yesterday to today I had to make a big change and it ended up working for sure. So, this gives me and my chief mechanic more confidence for the future, to make different moves, trying to adapt the bike to different tracks and not being afraid to make those moves. So, I think I take many positive aspects from this weekend – you extract positive aspects from difficult moments. And in a really tough weekend, I am here on the podium. I am quite happy and let’s move on to the next‘.
Regarding the mistake that cost him the second place, Martín emphasized that he will not repeat it: ‘I think you improve with the experiences you have, and today I had a very bad experience in the last corner. But believe me: this will not happen to me again in the future. I think a good rider improves with mistakes, today was a huge mistake, like a rookie. Next year when we get to Mugello I will always be on the white line‘.
