The press conference held after the Grand Prix MotoGP of Portugal, at the Algarve International Autodrome in Portimao, brought together George Martin, Enea Bastianini et Peter Acosta to answer various questions from journalists.
Left Qatar with a slightly bitter taste in the mouth despite the circuit record, a victory in the Sprint and a 3rd place in the Grand Prix, George Martin had promised to be “smarter” in Portugal.
Obviously, he was, swapping his results in the Sprint and the GP, and going from third to first in the world championship. Its objective seems more than clear...
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Ladies and gentlemen, hello and welcome to the post-race press conference at the end of an incredible and thrilling Tissot Portuguese Grand Prix here at the Algarve International Circuit. Our top three drivers, led by race winner and new world championship leader, Jorge Martin for Prima Pramac Racing, Jorge's first Sunday victory since that superb finish in Thailand last October. Very close second, he pressed him to the end, the rider of the Ducati Lenovo team, Enea Bastianini. A great weekend for Enea Of course, after his pole position yesterday. And making history is Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 driver Pedro Acosta, who is only 19 years old. He is the third youngest driver in the history of the premier category to reach the podium. You had an incredible race today, Pedro. Congratulations to all three of you, gentlemen.
Let's start the press conference with you, Jorge. It looked like a perfect Sunday, very mature driving, you managed the gap in the lead, you were under a lot of pressure from Maverick and Enea, to be in the lead of the World Championship. It was a big day for you and the team…
George Martin : “Yes, for sure, we are really proud of the work we did throughout the weekend. I knew that with the medium rear I would feel much better, and yes, I was really determined to take the lead. I knew the key today was kind of being up front. The first round was the key to victory. I was able to manage the rear tire a little during the first few laps, but I had this little gap. And then as soon as I started pushing, I saw that the gap was still the same, but I was always consistent and I knew that I had some margin to slowly widen this gap more and more deeply. And yes, I think when I got those 7 tenths, I was a little more relaxed, I knew it was a nice gap to keep until the end, and I thought like in Indonesia: you know, it's the same thing to win the race by 9 tenths or 3 seconds. So 7 tenths was enough and I tried to finish like that and win the race. »
I would like to know your opinion on the incident between Marc and Pecco.
"What about the incident?" I saw him three laps from the end. Or exactly ? I saw it on the screen. And at that point I was like, “OK, Jorge, you have to finish.” 100% ". And so for two turns I was stuck. But then I said to myself: “Okay, today you have to win.” I didn't care about finishing, just about winning. And this turn, yes, it's a bit complicated. »
Jorge, you said that you no longer chatted with the medium. Was this the case in today's race?
“I think we need to understand why, but we suffer from it a lot more when we push at the start than when we go easy on the first few laps. Today, I was quite smooth on the first laps, even though we were fast, I was really relaxed, let's say, and as soon as I started to push, I had in mind that the vibrations would maybe - might have happened, but ultimately that was not the case. So I'm super happy, but we have to check for Saturdays because now I think the sprint is our weak point. So let's try to focus on this and solve this problem. »
Jorge, I have a question for you regarding Pedro.
How do you rate his performance and are you surprised to see him so fast?
“Well, first of all, I'm not surprised, but he reminds me a little of myself, when I was also third in my second race. So he is sure to be one of the toughest guys to beat in the future. But no, it's not a surprise because we all knew he had talent, and he's here today with us. »
Jorge, you looked cool throughout the race, you managed the tires and the gap to Maverick well, and you didn't make any mistakes. With what you said about you just needing to win, not finish, today is this one of the most mature wins you've had?
“I think she’s the most mature, yes. I mean this is a circuit where I lost almost everything in 2021. I broke nine bones in turn 7, and today I'm here in first place. So I'm grateful to this circuit and I think it gives me a lot of maturity for the future as well. And today, taking the lead at the start was a little easier because I could manage at the start. As soon as they caught up with me, I had a small margin of one or two tenths, and each lap was faster than the last, but I felt comfortable. I think with five more laps we could reach 38.5, maybe, because I still had something to push to the limit. So it was, let's say, a really comfortable race, because when you take the lead straight away, it's a lot easier. »
Results of the Portuguese Grand Prix at the Algarve International Autodrome in Portimão:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
