As Motorsport.com Italia reports, MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin is feeling entirely confident that his inconsistencies are finally behind him as the season barrels toward its final five rounds. The Aprilia rider's campaign has swung wildly depending on the circuit, alternating between dominant weekends and strange drops in pace.
After returning from the summer break with a victory and a second place at Silverstone, things got tougher at Aragon, and arm pump slowed him down further at Misano. But "Martinator" has now turned things around by locking down three consecutive podiums, culminating in a third-place finish last Sunday at Mandalika that handed him the championship lead back from Ducati rival Marc Marquez. Even though Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez cleared out to take first and second on the island of Lombok, Martin took plenty of encouragement from the weekend and feels perfectly positioned for the title fight.
It seems that in the fast corners they managed to carry more speed with less spin, while I was skating like crazy,
"I'm happy to have clinched my third consecutive podium with Aprilia; it's truly wonderful," the 2024 champion said. "I feel I have the confidence to be fast in all the races that remain. Of course, there were races where I thought I would struggle and, indeed, I struggled. Now I feel that I will no longer struggle. I will be really competitive and I am very focused on what's to come."
Things could have been even better in the sprint race, where Martin emerged as an early favorite after both Bezzecchi and Fernandez took a tumble on the opening lap. Unfortunately, a front-tire pressure drop below Michelin's minimum limits wrecked his machine's performance before a late mistake killed any lingering victory hopes. He ultimately crossed the line in fourth, while his title rival snatched an unexpected win on a track that should have suited Ducati least.
Despite letting a major opportunity slip, Martin emphasized that he is only gaining speed as the calendar rolls on. "I missed a great opportunity to win the Sprint, but that's racing; sometimes you win and sometimes you learn," he said. "Sunday was a great day. We recovered the leadership. There are still five races left. I feel I am getting faster every time to fight for the title."
Still, the weekend wasn't entirely smooth, as Martin lacked the raw pace of his brand-mates and finished the Grand Prix nearly seven seconds off the lead. Having missed the Indonesian GP last year due to injury, the Spaniard admitted his lack of experience with the RS-GP at Mandalika made life difficult. "It seems that in the fast corners they managed to carry more speed with less spin, while I was skating like crazy," he explained. "It's why I tried to take risks, I tried to make up time."
Ultimately, Martin didn't gain a single point on Marquez all weekend, leaving the gap at the top unchanged while Marquez limped home sixth. But as the final stretch approaches, the Aprilia rider is banking on consistency and smart racing to carry him over the finish line. "The consistency will be very important, the speed will be super important, and also being intelligent," he said. "Something is missing in every race, a little bit in every race. I hope this won't be what I regret after the end of the season, but we are always there, we always score points, almost always on the podium."
