Jorge Martín was frustrated and hurt when Ducati promoted another rider to accompany Pecco Bagnaia on the official team just over a year ago. The place was reserved for him until the rise of Enea Bastianini with four wins last season sowed doubts in the leadership of the Bologna manufacturer, which sets the pace in MotoGP. Ultimately, the Italian was chosen ahead of the Spaniard, who turned the emotional blow into a challenge to make history in the competition. Since then, his goal has been to win the title with the Pramac private bike in 2023.
“That’s the only motivation I have with what they give me,” he said in an interview with EL PAÍS shortly after learning of the decision. A year later, the 25-year-old driver from Madrid is fulfilling his script to the letter. This Saturday he once again took points away from the current champion and leader of the competition with a second place in the sprint race, won by Álex Márquez. After a crash on his last attempt at a fast lap in Sepang, Martín will start this Sunday (08:00 a.m., DAZN) in second place behind Bagnaia, whom he has at the top of the standings with 11 points. At the GP Malaysia, both will compete for the title in the first of the three remaining finals on as many consecutive weekends.
No satellite has won the championship since Valentino Rossi with Honda in 2001, a fact that has never happened since the switch from 500cc to the current MotoGP format. “If I didn’t want the championship, I wouldn’t be here, and if I don’t think about it, no one else will either,” Martín argued. The excellent competition that the Spaniard faces has once again opened the doors of the official team to him. Those in charge of the Borgo Panigale brand, as this newspaper has learned, would consider demoting Bastianini, who has been absent this season due to several injuries and an apparent lack of rhythm compared to the brand’s heavyweights. In fact, the rider from Rimini had his best Saturday of the year with a third place on the grid and fourth place in the race behind Bagnaia. Despite this reaction, Martín would force the factory to promote him if he won the title so that he could continue to boast about being number one in the world.
The current battle between Bagnaia and Martín for supremacy in MotoGP has angered several historical figures in the paddock. “It seems strange to complicate your champion’s life like this. “Ducati, its race directors, made a mistake in the way they treated their riders,” says Casey Stoner, legend of the competition and first champion in 2007 with the Desmosedici. Typically, brands have a very clear policy on this. The factory must win as the main sponsors and their reputation depend on the results of the official team. Also because this is where the most resources are invested, an economic injection that is difficult to justify if you are simply overtaken on the right by another cadre with lower purchasing power.
Still, under the rule of Gigi Dall’Igna, Ducati Corse’s top sports manager, the group’s policy was to give its eight riders complete freedom of competition on the track. “It is true that only one is dressed in red, but they have the same motorcycle,” said Claudio Domenicali, CEO of the Bolognese company, a few days ago. “May the best win!” added the La Gazzetta dello Sport leader when asked about the fight between Bagnaia and Martín. Behind closed doors there are those who doubt the appropriateness of the all-out struggle promoted by the factory itself. However, Ducati publicly defends its management. “It may seem strange, but thanks to this policy we have been able to encourage the development of pilots who have moved from Pramac to the official team. “Petrucci, Miller, Bagnaia… last year we were close to promoting Jorge, but Bastianini’s victories made us change our minds,” Paolo Ciabbati, the group’s sports director, explains to this newspaper.
Albert Valera, Martín’s agent, assures that there have not yet been any discussions with Ducati management about a hypothetical promotion for his client. Both he and the driver leave the ball in Borgo Panigale’s court. “My goal is to wear red and why not evolve it? “It depends on them, on whether they want to act and do it,” recalls the Madrid native. “I think this is the goal that all riders have and my results deserve this place,” he adds about the possibility of ending up on the official bike in 2024. Although you are a member of a private group, your contract binds you directly to the factory. The Pramac colors are practically a camouflage. Gino Borsoi, sports director of the satellite, recognizes that anything can happen. “There are possibilities, but no comment from Ducati. At the moment I understand that Jorge will stay here, but this paddock is a box full of surprises,” he tells EL PAÍS.
After all, in MotoGP, appearances matter. And a lot. The dream of every pilot is to wear the overalls of an official factory, as Martín himself always recognized. This is where a large part of the status lies, but also the best economic conditions, the best technical resources and usually also the preference in sporting decisions in favor of the pilot who acts as a reference for the respective brand. The Madrid rider feels that by winning the world championship he will gain twice as much. At stake is a title for history and the most desirable motorcycle on the entire grid.
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