MotoGP, Portugal: Jorge Martin took his revenge on Portimao and showed the maturity he lacked last year

When MotoGP set its wheels on the Portimao circuit for the Portuguese Grand Prix, Enea Bastianini loudly proclaimed his desire to take revenge on this circuit following his misadventures of the previous year. However, it was rather Jorge Martin who had an old debt to settle with this track, where he came close to the end of his career. With a resounding victory, Martin not only erased bitter memories but also showed a champion's calm and confidence that he had previously lacked. Now in pole position in the title race, has Jorge Martin finally found the recipe for success?

Three years after a terrifying accident in Portimao which could have marked the end of his career, Jorge Martín triumphed in Portuguese Grand Prix en MotoGP. The Team Prima Pramac driver knew how to set his pace on Sunday, without ever letting his competitors get too close.

At a press conference, the reigning world vice-champion shared his pride in the work accomplished during the weekend: “ I am extremely proud of the work accomplished throughout the weekend. With the medium rear tire I felt much better. Taking the lead on the first lap was crucial for victory. I was able to save the rear tire at the start by maintaining a small lead. Once I started accelerating, I saw that the gap remained stable. I was consistent and knew that I had the margin to gradually increase this gap »

Jorge Martin: “ Portimao is a circuit where I lost almost everything in 2021, I had nine fractures in turn 7, and now here I am in first place »

George Martin also spoke about the management of his lead, remembering his abandonment in Indonesian Grand Prix Last year : " when I had this 0,7s lead, I felt a little more serene, knowing that it was a good margin to keep until the end. I told myself that winning by 0,9s or three seconds is the same. So, 0,7s was enough, I just wanted to finish and win »

Asked about the mature nature of his victory, the “Martinator” replied: “ this is a track where I almost lost everything in 2021. I suffered nine fractures in turn 7 and today I am in first position. I am grateful for this circuit, and I think it gives me a lot of maturity for the future ».

« Taking the lead from the start made things a little easier because I could control the pace at the start. As soon as they started to get closer, I always had this little gap, maybe 0,1s or 0,05s, and each lap was faster than the last. I felt comfortable. I think with five more laps we could have gone down to 1m38.5s, because I still had room to push to the limit. It was really comfortable… Let's say that when you take the lead from the start, it's much easier » he analyzes.

With this rediscovered confidence in its potential, George Martin now turns to Austin, which will host the Grand Prix of the Americas, the third round of championnat. He will achieve this as leader of championnat, with 18 points ahead of Brad Binder and in front of the official Ducati duo, bastianini et bagnaia.