Jorge Martín: “When I seem to be gaining an advantage, I make a mistake, but I am more focused”

MADRID, 19 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Spanish MotoGP rider Jorge Martin (Ducati) regretted on Thursday his “mistake” in San Marino two weeks ago when he seemed to be gaining an “advantage” in the fight for the title, although he stressed that he was “more focused” and in a “much more advantageous position than last season” as leader of the World Championship.

“The championship is becoming a bit more interesting, a bit tighter. I seem to gain a bit of an advantage and then I make a mistake, but I feel more focused when ‘Pecco’ is a bit closer. I made a wrong decision, I thought it was the right one at the time and it wasn’t,” recalled the Spaniard in the press conference prior to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

The Madrid native decided to change his bike from dry to wet at the San Marino GP two weeks ago, a mistake that forced him to come back in and make another change because in the end there was no rush, crossing the finish line 15th. A situation from which “the important thing is to learn”. “As a team, it has brought us even closer. Everything happens for a reason and that will help us to be stronger in the future,” he hoped.

“Maybe when I see the rain, I’ll try to use my instincts, because last time I failed,” he joked about Francesco Bagnaia’s (Ducati) technical advice to decide on weather conditions. “In any case, you have to be more prepared for any circumstance before the race and not have to think too much once you’re on the bike, because sometimes it’s quite difficult,” he concluded.

Despite finishing 15th in San Marino, Martín defended his position as being “much more advantageous than last season” at this stage. The rider from San Sebastián de los Reyes (312) has a seven-point advantage over ‘Pecco’ (305), while last year, with the same number of races in play, he was 35 points behind. “But that’s not the important thing, the important thing is that I always show myself to be fast, consistent, and that makes me feel happy,” he said.

“Obviously, there is always room for improvement and I will try to stay focused on improving, learning, and I think that will be the key. These three are going very strong and beating them will not be easy,” he predicted for the final stretch of the season, with seven races left until the end of the World Championship.

Finally, the Madrid native asked for “more respect” from the riders on the podium, after Marc Márquez (Ducati) was booed in San Marino. “I wasn’t on the podium, so I didn’t notice. But, for my part, saying that we give 100% on the track and we risk our lives on the track, this booing makes no sense,” he concluded.