‘Never been the favourite’ - Jorge Martin’s strong claim in MotoGP title fight
Jorge Martin made a strong claim about his current level
Jorge Martin says he has “never been the favourite” in the MotoGP title fight despite leading the standings, and believes he is “not at my top level”.
The Aprilia rider holds a 19-point advantage in the championship coming into this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix.
His lead was eroded at Aragon, with Marc Marquez now his closest challenger, while Marco Bezzecchi on the second of the factory Aprilias is 24 adrift in third.
Jorge Martin has not won since the French Grand Prix, while he’s had just two podiums from the last six races.
“I think I’ve never been the favourite,” he said on Thursday about his title situation.
“I don’t feel I have the speed enough to fight for victories every weekend.
“I need to continue improving. For sure, we are all here to win.
“I will try to continue working, to catch the speed of these guys, because at the moment I feel a bit behind.
“Always in the practices I lose three, four tenths.
“So, I’m still not at my top level. But, trust me, I’m trying hard to find that speed, to fight with these guys to win the title.”
Martin has won at the San Marino Grand Prix previously in his career, and expects the Aprilia to be fast at Misano this weekend.
“Aragon wasn’t super strong, but I hope here we can bounce back,” he added.
“It’s a track that I enjoyed in the past.
“Also, the Aprilia won here last season in the sprint with Marco, and they were competitive.
“But also, Marc won here, so I think the level is always super strong at Misano; everybody is super-fast.
“But I feel prepared; we are working a lot to try to build some speed, and I hope to be able to fight again with the top guys.
“I think during the year a lot of riders go up and down.
“Still a long season to go, but it seems like we [the top three] are a bit in front.
“I still don’t feel at my 100%. There are some races where I feel super strong, other ones where I struggle.
“I need to understand this thing well if I want to continue battling for the championship. I feel there are some upcoming races that are very good for me.”
