Jorge Martin “not really enjoying on the bike” at low-grip Aragon MotoGP

Jorge Martin says he is “not really enjoying” riding his Aprilia at the Aragon MotoGP because of a lack of grip.

Championship leader Martin has not featured at the front of any session so far this weekend, and of the three full-time Aprilia riders present this weekend he was the slowest in qualifying.

Starting fifth for the Sprint, Martin moved up to fourth early on, but was pushed back to where he started by Pedro Acosta eventually.

Martin was pleased enough with his performance, though, but admitted that it’s proving a “tricky” weekend in Aragon.

“I'm happy with the job we did, honestly,” Jorge Martin said after the Aragon MotoGP Sprint.

“The feeling is always improving every run, every practice. Today, top-five, honestly, is more than what I expected, so this is good. 

“I think the team is doing a great job helping me to ride faster and with more confidence. 

“But it's been a tricky weekend for me and we are trying to improve.”

The reason for the “tricky” characteristic of the weekend is simple, Martin added.

“I don't feel a lot of grip,” he said. “Maybe I need to train more flat track because, honestly, I feel I'm always loose. 

“I'm not really enjoying on the motorbike, but this is part of the journey. I need to adapt, I need to understand. 

“I just need more grip from the front. The first few laps I feel good because the tyres are fresh, but then as soon as the drop comes, it's difficult for me to keep the same speed.”

Martin was keen to say that this lack of front-end performance is not the same as what he struggled with before the summer break, when, after his crash-strewn Barcelona weekend, he lost confidence in the front end of the RS-GP.

“I feel I'm confident, I feel good with the front,” he said.

“The thing is that it's dropping, I start to lose grip. 

“So, I think the bike is working really good, I just need to improve to ride when the grip is [getting lower]. 

“But the bike is working well, we didn't change anything and with the same setup we are still competitive.”

Rear tyre choice not a problem

Both Martin and his Aprilia Racing team-mate Marco Bezzecchi chose the soft-compound rear tyre for the Sprint. The winner, Marc Marquez, chose the medium rear tyre, as did second-placed Alex Marquez. Pedro Acosta made the same choice as the Marquez brothers, and beat Martin with it.

But Martin himself didn’t think that the choice of the soft rear tyre was a wrong one, something Bezzecchi also said after the Sprint.

“For us the soft [rear tyre] was okay,” Martin said. “I think medium is better, but I didn't try a lot with the medium, so it was my only option. 

“But I think for tomorrow with the medium we can compensate a bit that difference because today I wasn't that far away, just the last laps because of the soft dropped. So, I think for tomorrow I can be more close.”