Jorge Martin: “I will do whatever it takes to win this title”

Jorge Martin saw his first chance to win the 2024 MotoGP title slip away with the victory of his rival Francesco Bagnaia in the Solidarity Barcelona MotoGP Sprint.

Martin was expected to beat Bagnaia by two points to secure the crown “early”, but instead conceded five points to his rival after a last-lap pass from Enea Bastianini’s sister Lenovo Ducati relegated Martin to third place.

Starting fourth, Martin dived for the holeshot at Turn 1, but emerged behind the red machines after the first few turns.

The Spaniard then went back and forth with Bastianini, the driver he clashed with on the final lap of the Misano race, before claiming second place.

But he couldn’t stop Bagnaia and fell victim to a late Bastianini fightback at Turn 5. The “unexpected” pass left Martin shaking his head, but he later paid tribute to The Beast for his “incredible work “.

“It was a tense sprint. Firstly, with the choice of tires I was a little nervous because they told me that Pecco was with the hard front, but I didn’t know if I could trust the choice or not because it l had made (late change) in Malaysia.

“So finally I looked at myself and asked myself ‘what’s the best tire you can use in racing, medium’. So I went for the medium, but for sure in the end, it was a bit on the limit.

“I started pretty well but I was maybe a little optimistic in the first corner, then I saw Enea pass so it was a bit of a mess! And after that I started a fight with him. We lost a little time and the opportunity to leave with the Pecco.

“I think I had the potential to go a little faster, but I used a lot of tires with Enea. But ultimately I did my best to try to control the risk a little bit and I think a podium today was really, really good work.

Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin, Solidarity Barcelona MotoGP Sprint 2024

Bastianini’s last overtake was “unexpected, I could hear his bike from a long way away (behind). I thought maybe he was crashing, so I stopped, just to get ready to get off the track.

“But he did an incredible job. He is fighting his own battle with Marc, so I understand his battle and tomorrow it will be a great race. I hope to take advantage of it and try to figure out how to be a little more competitive.

Martin will start the 40th and final race of the season 19 points ahead of Bagnaia, meaning that even if the defending champion wins, Martin will only have to finish in the top nine.

“I think the strategy has to be the same, to try to be on the podium,” Martin said. “I have to control the risk a little more but today I think the battle with Enea allowed me to stay quite focused.

“So that’s the goal, to be focused, to have fun and of course, if something happens in the last lap, I have to control the risk and not get into a fight.

“But I will do what I have to do to win this title.”

Jorge Martin, Solidarity Barcelona MotoGP 2024

Given his points advantage, the biggest battle Martin faces on Sunday will undoubtedly be mental.

“I was quite nervous after qualifying, I barely ate anything today,” he admitted. “So I was quite nervous at that point, but then I tried to get some sleep, take a cold shower. And for the race, I was pretty calm. I was having a good time.

“I wanted to see how I was during the race and when I’m on the bike everything is more or less under control. The feeling is there.