Pramac rookie Jorge Martin made more history on Sunday after completing his second-ever race in MotoGP on the podium on a satellite Ducati.
Launching from the DohaGP pole, Martin was convinced he would be instantly over taken by the more experienced riders around him but he keep his cool, his imposing pace, and his lead for almost full-race distance. Fabio Quartararo was the only rider to really challenge the impressive youngster as he swept his M1 through with just three laps to go, his teammate Johann Zarco making a late-lunge at turn 15 to deny him second on the final lap.
Reflecting on the momentous weekend from his first premier class post-race press conference, Martin admitted: “Leading 18 laps was a bit difficult but I think it was better for me actually because I could control the pace, control the tyres that I was struggling with last weekend.
“I did a great step and I think I improved my focus and also my management of the tyre, which is so importan,t” the Spaniard continued. “I’m still missing a bit of speed for sure, as when Fabio overtook me I was a bit on the limit to follow him, but I say ‘Okay, maybe now is the moment to push to follow him and keep this podium’.
"At the end it was a shame to lose the second position but I’m happy 100 per cent because when I saw Johann I say ‘Wow, now I cannot try. If I try and we crash, is a disaster’. He’s in a different role in the team, he needs to be up there, trying to win this championship.
"I tried to go inside to try to keep the podium and a third position is amazing. After, such a short time with the MotoGP, I took the opportunity today to be here, so I’m really happy.
Having already stunned the paddock with a blistering performance during Saturday’s qualifying, the youngster headed into the second race of his MotoGP career as the pole-man, with all the pressure and expectations that come with it, so how was he feeling as he took to the grid on Sunday evening?
“I was a bit nervous” the 23-year-old confessed, “even more than last week, because being up there in the pole position is not easy. I think even if I make another pole position in the future I will be the same, nervous.
“I thought I didn’t have the pace to stay with the front guys, but then every lap was a bit closer to the end and I say ‘Okay, another one, another one’. I was keeping a good pace, not pushing a lot, trying to match very well and I was making ’55.2, ‘55.1, ’55.4. The pace was great and that’s why I was in front, so really happy and even if I was a bit nervous, I could control it well and do a great job. I learned a bit of managing my concentration, the management also of the tyre, also with the full tank - with our bike is not easy because it’s a bit heavy - but I think I learned from myself, trying to believe a bit more, and gain more confidence for the future.
“With the Ducati since the first test I felt quite okay. I wasn’t competitive - I was one-second from the top - but everyday I was a bit closer, from 1.2, then one-second and then 0.9, and now I’m here in the podium. The Ducati is the best bike I’ve ever ridden because you can push like hell. You can go to the limit in an unbelievable way, you can brake really late, you can turn so fast and I really enjoy this moment. I’m enjoying my riding style with this bike.
“In the race, at the beginning I was expecting a lot of riders to overtake me, but after 10 laps I say ‘Okay, I can keep this pace, I can be at the front’, but five laps to go I was hearing a bike really close. I didn’t know who was it but it was Fabio - before that moment I was thinking, ‘Okay, maybe we have the possibility also to win’, but the podium was good enough. As soon as he passed me I tried to follow him to keep this podium alive. Being in the top for 18-laps, a lot of things come to your mind, you have to be really focused, but I did a great job and I’m really happy.
“I feel quite confident and I think everything can happen in racing. You can be like today and win races or you can be like last weekend and I was 15th. We did a really great job, it’s important to work really hard with a team. Try to be focused during the weekend, try to understand everything, do a step forward and try to understand every step you do. For sure, I wasn’t expecting to be in pole position or even in a podium in my second race but my targets remain the same - aim to be in the top-10. Now we will arrive to a track where I almost didn’t ride, and then to Jerez, then to new tracks and I need to understand the bike, need to understand a lot of things. So for the moment, being in the top-10 is good enough for me and maybe after seven or eight races my target will be a bit higher.
“I want to dedicate this podium to Fausto, my first podium in MotoGP. He was really important in my career because when he gave me the opportunity to go with the Honda I was in a really low moment. I was with a bad bike and I wasn’t making results, so he said, ‘Okay, come here. I know you have the talent and we can win this championship’ and we did it together. I really miss him because for me was really a close friend, he was like family to me, so I’m happy I stopped today with the Gresini team for a big hug because for sure he is watching up there.”
