“No disaster” as Jorge Martin emerges close to MotoGP title lead

Left tenth on the grid in qualifying, Jorge Martin emerged five points closer to team-mate and championship leader Marco Bezzecchi after the Italian’s mistake in the Brno MotoGP Sprint.

Martin was running one place behind Bezzecchi when the Italian crashed out of fifth on the penultimate lap.

That has put Martin 15 points behind in the standings heading into Sunday’s grand prix, where he must serve two long-lap penalties for causing the Balaton Park pile-up.

“Well, it wasn't a disaster,” Martin said of his Sprint race.

“Qualifying was still a really weak point for myself. But later, in terms of pace, I'm not that far. So we need to continue improving.

“I think starting from the first two rows it will have been another story. Because the first two laps I felt super strong.

“But anyway, I'm trying to improve. Today, I also have good information with the medium rear tyre for tomorrow.”

Martin, renowned for his qualifying speed during his Ducati days, admitted he still lacks the confidence to push the RS-GP to its limit over a single lap.

“I don't really understand the limit of the bike. I feel always like I’m crashing,” he said.

“I would love to have a test, honestly. Because I feel I need something else from the front end that I'm not having. I feel always on the limit.

“In terms of pace, everything's more smooth. And I don't feel that I'm close to the limit. But when I push for one lap, I really feel bad on the bike.

“As soon as I improve this, I will be fighting for the podium every race.”

Sunday long laps

Martin has been practising the long-lap loop throughout the weekend ahead of Sunday's race and said the time lost isn't 'dramatic'.

“I will lose, like, 3.5s overall with the two long laps. So it's not really dramatic,” he said.

“Today I was really stuck behind the pack because we were riding similar pace. So maybe tomorrow, after the two laps, I maybe have some clear air and I can be even faster.

“The important thing for me is to find the speed and to continue improving.

“I will take it as a test. Because with the speed that I have this weekend, I won't be able to fight for the title.

“So for me, the most important thing is to improve my speed and my performance.

“I'm trying not to touch the bike too much, to adapt to the bike. But still it's difficult for me to find a base. I just need more time.”

One rider Martin could potentially learn from is Trackhouse Aprilia’s Ai Ogura, who claimed his first MotoGP pole position before finishing runner-up to Pecco Bagnaia in the Sprint.

“For sure he's riding better than we are. He's adapting really good to the condition, to the tyres. He's really light, so he doesn't suffer with over-temperature normally. 

"But anyway, he's making a difference compared to the other Aprilias.”