MotoGP points leader Jorge Martin is confident he can remain competitive in the final five rounds of the season, insisting his struggles are now behind him.
The Aprilia rider’s form has fluctuated wildly from circuit to circuit through the year, with several strong performances interspersed with weekends in which he was inexplicably off the pace.
After returning from the summer break, he immediately hit form with a victory and second place at Silverstone, only to fall back in Aragon and then lost further ground in San Marino due to arm pump.
However, Martin has now finished the last three grands prix on the podium, with his third-place finish in Mandalika last Sunday allowing him to retake the lead over Ducati’s Marc Marquez.
Although he couldn’t match the pace of his Aprilia stablemates Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez, who finished first and second, Martin drew encouragement from his result in Indonesia and believes he is now well placed for the title run-in.
“I'm happy to have my third podium in a row with Aprilia; this is super nice,” the 2024 champion said. “I feel I am confident that I will be fast in all the races that are remaining.
“For sure, there were races where I thought I was going to struggle and indeed, I was struggling.
“Now, I don't feel I will struggle anymore. I will be really competitive and I'm really focused on what's coming.”
Martin had emerged as the favourite for victory in the Mandalika sprint after both Bezzecchi and Fernandez were eliminated in the opening-lap melee. However, a tyre pressure severely compromised his race, before a late mistake put paid to any chances of a victory. He eventually wound up fourth as title rival Marquez claimed an unlikely win at one of Ducati’s weakest circuits.
While Martin was disappointed by the missed opportunity, he stressed that he was only getting faster as the season progresses.
“I missed a big opportunity to win the sprint, but this is racing; sometimes you win and sometimes you learn,” he said.
“Sunday was a great day. We took back the lead. Still five races to go. I feel every time I am faster and faster to fight [for the title].”
Why Martin was the second-slowest Aprilia
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
While Martin was delighted with his result on Sunday, especially with Marquez only managing sixth, he squandered a chance to pull away from his Ducati rival in the standings.
In fact, Martin didn’t gain a single point over Marquez across the entire weekend, with the gap between the two remaining the same as it was before Indonesia.
While the sprint result played a part, Martin also lacked the pace of his Aprilia stablemates Bezzecchi and Fernandez the entire weekend, and finished almost seven seconds off the lead in the grand prix.
Having missed the Indonesian GP last year due to injury, the Spaniard said a lack of experience on the RS-GP at Mandalika left him on the back foot.
“It seems like on the fast corners they were able to put more speed with less spin, and I was spinning like crazy. That's why I was trying to take risks, I was trying to make time,” he explained.
“For sure, I improved a lot during the weekend compared to the first day, but I missed a bit of laps. Maybe last season they already took a step, and this season I was trying to match them. Sometimes I feel like when I haven’t raced [at a track] the year before, I struggle to match their speed. But other times I don't suffer.
“So, this one was like this. I didn't take that extra from the Aprilia, which was performing super good, but I'm happy about the result.”
Martin hopes the last bit of performance that he has been missing won't count against him in the championship battle.
"Consistency will be so important, speed will be super important, and to be intelligent," he said.
"There's something missing every race, a little bit missing every race. I hope that this is not what I will miss (regret) after the season finish, but we are always there, always making points, almost always on the podium. "
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