Jorge Martin: “Even if Marc Marquez catches up, we can fight” for MotoGP title
MotoGP title leader Jorge Martin not fazed by Marc Marquez becoming his closest rival.
Jorge Martin feels it is “crazy” to still be leading the MotoGP World Championship as he continues his “learning” process with Aprilia.
After a double win at Le Mans, the Spaniard has taken just one Sprint victory from the last 16 races and endured a podium-less weekend at Aragon.
However, Martin remains optimistic that the pieces will soon fall into place and he will be able to put up a fight against Ducati’s reigning champion and new closest title rival Marc Marquez.
Martin missed last year’s Aragon round through injury but felt that didn't justify this year’s two fifth-place finishes.
“That is no excuse because there are some races where I didn't race last year, and I was still fast,” Jorge Martin told MotoGP.com.
“So yeah, I just struggled. We tried to keep everything simple, not to touch the bike too much. But at the end, today I needed some help…
“Even Marco, who was, I think, almost the favourite, struggled during the race.
“I think this is part of a championship. Some races, we [Aprilia] are better. Some races we are worse.
“The important thing is to learn, keep building speed and confidence, and head to the next one with optimism.
"Misano is a track that I really like, where we have a lot of grip, and I think with the Aprilia and my style, we can bounce back, and we can be fast again."
"Even if Marc catches up"
Martin, who has led the MotoGP world championship since Assen, heads to Misano 19 points ahead of Marquez and 24 clear of Bezzecchi.
That means, mathematically, any one of the trio could be leading the standings by the end of the event.
“I think both Marco and Marc are title contenders with me,” Martin said.
“I feel that, even if I'm still in the learning process, I'm leading. So it's crazy. I'm super happy. And I think from now on, I can keep that leadership. Even if Marc catches up.
"I think there are some really good races for me, and I hope that everything we learned during these 14 races can help me to fight.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
