Let's talk MotoGP: Jorge Martin doesn't care about the norm

Unless a miracle happens, Pecco Bagnaia will not be able to win the title. I don't believe it for a second, it would simply be unprecedented in the modern era. And besides, unlike Valentino Rossi in 2006 or Jorge Lorenzo in 2013, Martin has two races to kill the match and become MotoGP world champion. In Sepang, he hammered home the point again with a magnificent performance, undoubtedly one of his most mature. The spectacle he offered us deserves to be analyzed.

 

Without fear and without reproach

 

Okay, Martin lost the Grand Prix, and by quite a long way. More than three seconds separated him from the winner Pecco Bagnaia, but still, It was the Spaniard who had the best weekendIt was the Spaniard who perfectly measured his commitment, knew how to take risks, but without acting in a vulgar way against history. He didn't insult the sport by fighting hard in the early rounds, and I personally think that was the best thing to do.

 

 

Settle for an easy second place – we can tell by the gap between them and the rest – could have perfectly launched him on a false rhythm, instilled fear, because it is, in fact, an admission of weakness to give up the possibility of winning. By showing his teeth from the first turns, he got himself into condition, dressed himself in the cape of world champion. The maximum concentration required helped him. Many were surprised to see him so incisive at such a moment of the season, but this lack of reflection is what mainly characterizes this new generation.. Bagnaia and Martin do not calculate anything.

However, when he saw that Pecco was much faster, he knew how to let him go, but because I really think that he couldn't do anything about it. I may be wrong, but I'm willing to bet that if the Italian had really had rhythm problems two-thirds of the way through the race, The "Martinator" would have tried to get a hard-fought victory that would not change anything in the outcome of the championship, since a second Bagnaia meant a final in Barcelona despite everything. Let's thank them for being like that, for not worrying about the standards that apply to all other motor sports.

 

 

Martin was not the strongest, and yet he came out the winner of this meeting. His perfectly managed Sprint shows he has no problem handling the pressure, as does his qualifying session.. By the way, let's now talk about the mental aspect because he has progressed a lot in a short time.

 

Change of atmosphere

 

After Indonesia, and a fortiori After Japan, I criticized his body language, quite inconsistent with his results. A week later – and not without having suffered more than vehement attacks from some readers – he admitted to having had a lot of trouble with the psychological aspect during his race for the title in 2023, something I had already noticed at the time, when everyone was focusing on Bagnaia's pseudo-crashes.

 

 

Since that media outing, Martin has not been the same. Maybe talking about it has added confidence to confidence, it sometimes does. But just look at his attitude at the end of the Sprint, which is similar to the moment he wins the championship, after the fact. His words, also directed at Valencia, were clear: "There's nothing to celebrate today. I did a good job but it's not over until it's over.". Same after the Grand Prix: no exaggerated celebrations, no unnecessary excitement. Just respect for the opponent, a heavy thought for Valencia, and already, here he is looking towards the championship final. It's a champion's temperament, nothing more, nothing less.This is widely true throughout history, as it is the mentality of the great winners – more noticeable in the United States, a country that is two steps ahead of Europe when it comes to the question of body language and the study of the psychological aspect of sport.

It's like Martin has matured two years in three weeks. He may not be the strongest this season (we'll have a chance to talk about that again because I can already see you coming). But in any case, he will make a very good champion, he is the one who deserves the crown in 2024. All this is just my opinion, of course, you are free to think otherwise. I hope that those who study the history of MotoGP In the future, we will not confuse his season with Mir's in 2020, because Martin is very far from running a grocery store.

See you in Barcelona to celebrate a title he can no longer lose.

I'm curious what you thought of Martin this weekend? Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport