“I expected more grip”: Martin talks tyres after sprint win

Jorge Martin picked up where he left off after an absence of a sprint race in Australia and is already looking ahead for what the result means for Sunday’s Thailand Grand Prix

Lisa Lewis

28 Oct 2023

Jorge Martin, Tissot sprint race, MotoGP, Thailand MotoGP, 28 October

Martin claimed his fifth consecutive sprint win and although it turned into a managed , confident affair out front, the Prima Pramac Ducati rider had initial pressure from Luca Marini , with Brad Binder attempting to chase him down late on in the MotoGP sprint.

Fortunately for the Spaniard he had gapped the pack and could manage his gap back to Binder.

Martin revealed he had trouble judging his tyre choice as he had spent all the weekend to that point on old rubber:

“It was difficult for me to understand, how it was going to be, the sprint, because I was always with really used tyres. I saw the pace of maybe, Fabio, Bezzecchi or even Pecco that were fast with the new tyre.

I expected more grip in the last five, six laps, I think I used a bit too much in the beginning …but tomorrow we need to be more calm on the first laps and try to keep a good tyre for the end”.

Thoughts then turned to what tyre to use in Sunday’s main event and who he expects to be challenged by after the MotoGP sprint result:

“It is difficult to know, I was really competitive … I think it is difficult to race with the medium, it’s quite soft so we need to understand in warm up.

I’m in a position where I have to take risks and today I took it - when Brad won second I had to push a bit more and maybe I crash, maybe not, I try to be on the track and be safe ‘til the end.

Was close, but I think Luca knew I was going to go for first position so he broke a bit earlier and I could make a good first corner and then just focus on trying to make the gap bigger.

I hope that by being relaxed I can make that gap but if not maybe I need to be happy with second or happy with third, I saw Brad was coming really fast, I think Pecco will improve and Bezzecchi was strong so let’s see”.

Last time out in Australia tyres had proved crucial in the main race, with Martin’s softer compound gamble on the grid not paying off. That saw his #89 bike hunted down to eventually finish fifth behind eventual winner Johann Zarco, Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Binder.