Jorge Martin “didn’t want to race anymore” after 2023 MotoGP title loss

Jorge Martin has revealed that he “didn’t want to race anymore” after losing the 2023 MotoGP title and had “no motivation” in the 2024 pre-season.

The 26-year-old made history this year by becoming the first independent team rider to win the world championship in the modern era, after guiding Pramac Ducati to the title ahead of Francesco Bagnaia.

Martin beat Bagnaia in the final round of the 2024 campaign in Barcelona 12 months on from losing the 2023 title to his rival after crashing out of the Valencia Grand Prix.

After winning the 2024 title, Martin spoke about mental health issues he suffered at the start of the year as doubts crept into his mind about being able to fight for the championship again after 2023.

In a new interview with motogp.com, he revealed that his self-doubt was such that he didn’t even want to race anymore.

“After last season, in January I started to suffer a lot with my mental health,” he said.

“I didn’t want to race anymore. I had a lot of fears that appeared. I don’t why, but they appeared.

“I did an amazing season but I didn’t win. I was like maybe I will never be as fast as I was last year, or I will never win again, or I will never win this championship. I remember coming to the test.

“I was not motivated. I was fast but no motivation. I was just doing my job. They were paying me, but I was just doing my job.

“So, I said ‘Ok, I race, I get the money and I will go home maybe at the end of the season’.

“So, finally, getting that motivation back, looking not only at the final results but also the process - enjoying the process - was the key.”

Martin also revealed that he got more in touch with his faith in 2024 as he looked to learn from what happened the year before.

“I think the best lesson is to live in the present,” he said.

“I said it quite a lot of times. And in the end, the past is the past.

“The important thing is to learn from the past and learn from the pain. In the last few months I was praying.

“I was meditating a lot, which I think is a kind of praying. I got again this faith for something bigger. I think I’m blessed.

“I started to go to church again. I have my faith coming back.

“At the end of the day, praying is like speaking to yourself, just trying to be a good person, trying to give, to receive, and I think this is really powerful.”