The press conference held after the Qatar Grand Prix motorcycle, on the Losail circuit, brought together Francis Bagnaia, Brad Binder et George Martin to answer various questions from journalists.
As is often the case, George Martin was the fastest on this track, but despite the circuit record and a victory in the Sprint, he only left in third position in the championship, with a slightly bitter taste in his mouth...
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the post-race press conference, following a thrilling Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix that will kick off 2024, with three extraordinary Grands Prix to celebrate the anniversary of our 75th season. First Grand Prix podium in MotoGP is led by World Champion, Ducati Lenovo Team rider Pecco Bagnaia, a great start to the season for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Brad Binder after his second place in the Sprint, Brad second in the 21-lap Grand Prix this evening, and it's also a very good weekend for Prima Pramac Racing Jorge Martin. He broke the lap record from pole position last night, took his tenth victory in the Tissot Sprint and finished third in the Grand Prix.
I will now move on to Jorge Martin, Prima Pramac rider. Like Brad said, Jorge, it was a busy night for you because you had a really good battle with him. You worked very hard to keep Marc Marquez in the last two or three laps, but pole position, Sprint victory and 3rd place tonight. It’s a great start to the season for you, Jorge…
George Martin :
“Yeah, I can’t complain either. I mean, I'm super happy. If you had asked me yesterday I would have thought I wouldn't be on the podium today, so I'm happy with the result. Of course, I think we had the potential to do better today, but it is what it is. Anyway, we are competitive, yesterday with the record and the victory in the sprint, today we are on the podium. And yes, I had two battles at the same time, you know. I had Brad in front and I was trying to catch him, and at the end I was with Marc, really, really close, trying to catch me. So yes, with two laps to go, I was able to take a lot of risks and widen this gap. I thought about overtaking Brad on the last lap, but that might have been too much (laughs). So I think this is the best start of my career so far in MotoGP. I think it's a good thing because normally I start very, very poorly. And yes, it was difficult, I couldn't ride 100% because we still have problems with the bike. But let's say that in Portimao we will be able to improve. »
Yesterday we talked with a lot of you about tire wear, tire problems, and I guess going into this race you didn't know what was going to happen. You obviously used your data from yesterday to get a better bike, but what was your strategy for this race?
“I understood that I had to be very gentle with the tires at the start of the race, but it was definitely not the right choice (laughs) because I think in the end I had very good tires but I was no longer able to fight. So yes, I think without Pecco overtaking the race would have been different. But you know, I think we made that mistake and I hope next time we'll be smarter. »
Results of the Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail circuit:
Credit rankings: MotoGP.com
