The press conference held as a prelude to the Malaysian Grand Prix motorcycle, on the Sepang circuit, brought together Francesco Bagnai, George Martin, Marco Bezzecchi et Brad Binder to answer various questions from journalists. After two Grands Prix MotoGP where Francis Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) consolidated its lead over George Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) in the general classification of the championship, the solid success made in Thailand by the latter allowed him to reduce his deficit from 27 to 13 units, and conversely to increase the pressure weighing on the shoulders of the two men.
With another 111 points to potentially score from this 18th of the 20 stages which takes place this weekend on the Sepang International Circuit, everything remains open, especially as Francis Bagnaia won this GP last year and that George Martin had taken pole there before escaping in the race, then falling alone…
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
George Martin : “After the last race I was very happy. I think I had an amazing weekend and, like you said, a fourth double victory of the year is great. I decided to stay here because normally I have a hard time dealing with the time difference, so I thought it would be a good option to stay here, get used to the conditions and get used to it. train in the heat. I'm happy, I think this week of rest gave me too much time to think about everything, I prefer to run straight away because I had the feeling. I'm back in Malaysia and can't wait to race!
What about this gesture on the podium in Thailand?
“I didn't do it on purpose, I don't know why I did it. It was a bit of the same thing, but more for the stands. Anyway, it's not bad, there are spicy moments, I didn't want to do something funny or anything like that, it just came naturally. After two bad results and some really unlucky situations, we finally did a good job, so I was super happy and proud. »
Is this a revenge mission after Malaysia 2022?
“Yes, I miss this victory, I felt I could do it. Maybe two or three more laps and I was able to open the gap, but I couldn't because I crashed. I think with the new asphalt we can improve because it seems like the bumps are fewer, so the corners could be faster. For the race, let's see, this is perhaps not the best strategy to get ahead. »
Do you feel the pressure, how different was Buriram?
“I feel it outside of racing, for example when I was in Bali because you have time to think about winning or losing something important, but when I'm on the racing circuit I'm just focused on victory. Today I was relaxed and confident in my chances. »
And what about the rumors about the factory bike?
“I can't say much. I would be proud to continue with Pramac next season, but if Ducati wants to put me on the red bike next year I would also be very happy. »
