Martin feeling ‘strong’ at Silverstone, improves from P13 to third in FP2

MotoGP rookie Jorge Martin experienced one of his better Friday’s of the season after adapting quickly to the Silverstone track. 

The Spanish rider finished FP1 in 13th which was still better than most other opening weekend sessions this season, however, the big jump came in FP2 after extracting more of the Ducati’s power. 

Martin: "Normally when I go to a new track, we are really safe on the power, we try to use really low power and understand better the setup of the bike and make the lines. 

"So maybe that's why this morning I was P13 finally, which is not that bad for a rookie. 

"Then we improved a lot in the electronic part and as soon as I got on track I was competitive. So I think this is the biggest step. 

"I think Turns 9, 10 I am struggling a bit, I need to understand how to do the line, because I tried different lines but I was still not able to do the best ones. 

"So the good thing is that we have a lot of margin there and as soon as we improve we will be faster." 

While Martin may be a rookie, the Pramac rider has looked anything but a rookie especially since the summer break. 

Back-to-back podiums including a win at the SpielbergGP has highlighted the Spaniard’s quick adaptation to the premier class, but also his and the Desmosedici’ strong combination. 

But while confidence is extremely high given recent races, Martin doesn’t believe that played much of a factor regarding his day one performance, instead his feeling with the bike and track alone made him competitive. 

"I think it's not about the confidence, because when I arrive to the track, I feel like a rookie, I feel like I won't be fast, it will be really difficult," added Martin. 

"But then today was super good. I feel good with the bike, I feel good with the track also, in the past I was quite competitive. 

"So I think this is more to keep the momentum we have, that we are strong, with the team, with the bike."