Jorge Martín has been the protagonist of the French MotoGP Grand Prix. Yesterday, he secured pole position with a new lap record at Le Mans, and then went on to dominate the Sprint race. Now, the main race follows, in which the Pramac rider is one of the top contenders for victory.
The Spaniard anticipates strong competition in Sunday’s race, where the main priority will be to finish with points: ‘I want to finish, score points, and then go with whatever we can for the next race. We have to be prepared because anything can happen. Pecco [Bagnaia] will be very strong, he will surely try to win because he did not score in the Sprint race. Marc [Márquez] will be strong, Enea [Bastianini] can be very fast in the end. Whatever happens, it will be good. The important thing is to finish, be competitive, and I believe that if I give 100 percent like on Saturday – I had a great pace – it will also be difficult for the other riders not to be on the limit, because we are very much on the limit and that is the most important thing‘.
Asked about what will be the key to this race, Martín was pragmatic: ‘I don’t know. The key, you will know after the race. I am not the only one with a good pace; I think Pecco is really strong, Enea is also very strong. So, I don’t know. Maybe if you manage a bit at the beginning you can have more tire left at the end. But then if you manage too much you can lose positions. So, I will do my best and try to make the most of the race‘.
Starting from pole position, #89 has a good opportunity to manage the race from the lead, and considers this a more favorable situation: ‘I think it’s better to lead, because here the sensitivity of the front tire with front pressure is very difficult. On Saturday I was perfect with the pressure, but if you’re behind someone it becomes very difficult. That’s why I was very calm in the Sprint race, because I thought: “Well, if [Marco] Bezzecchi catches me, then he will have difficulties with the front”. So, the main race will be a bit more of this – even more with a full tank. Therefore, I believe that leading is important in the first four or five laps’.
