2024 MotoGP World Champion, Jorge Martín was invited by Pablo Motos on the Spanish television show, 'El Hormiguero', to discuss his coronation, looking back on all the details of the exceptional season which saw him surpass the reigning champion, Francesco Bagnaia.
After three victories in the main race, and seven on Saturday, in the Sprint, Jorge Martín became MotoGP world champion at the age of 26, ten points ahead of the one who had deprived him of realizing his dream a season earlier.
However, we had to wait until the last event of this 2024 campaign to see Jorge Martín lift this world crown. Asked to talk about the emotions he felt when he understood that his goal had been achieved, almost two weeks later, the Spaniard still cannot find the words.
“It's very difficult to explain how I felt at that moment, but this world title was not just for me,
confides Jorge Martín at the start of his interview for 'El Hormiguero'. Winning a world championship is clearly the best thing that could happen to you. But it was more for the people. For my family who made so many sacrifices, for my team, those who helped me. In the end, it won't change my life, but I felt that for them, and for the Spaniards who also support me in this rivalry with the Italians. I benefited a lot.
When there were seven rounds left, my entire sports career began to flash before my eyes, he continues. My parents, when they took me late to the track after work. In the end, it was very hard to get there, and now we have it. I wasn't looking at the board, I told myself that I shouldn't control what was happening behind me. Plus there was already Aleix, who is a good friend, and I said to myself: 'Okay, I'm safe on this side. With seven laps to go, the images started to pass little by little, and I said to myself: 'Jorge, you have seven left, the race is not over, you have to finish the job'. »
Emotions have given way to tears, and crying while riding a MotoGP is certainly no easy feat. “In the last lap, about halfway through the lap, the emotion started to come, and the tears flowed. I could no longer contain them. I would have needed windshield wipers [dans les yeux]. I just had to finish the race. I had to finish ninth, that would only be one race outside the podium. But when you're driving, and you see that you're not first, you're afraid. I started to think it would be difficult to finish ninth. But in the end, I focused. The race didn't seem long to me, I was really focused. And it went well. »
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Jorge Martín makes history
After winning his title, and celebrating both on the podium and in the Pramac Racing garage, with the team that supported him throughout the year, Jorge Martín went to the end of season gala. A ceremony held in the National Art Museum of Catalonia, in Barcelona, during which the Spaniard added his name to the champions' trophy.
“It’s a truly unique trophy, because it is built with history, recalls n°89. Every year you add a small plaque: Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, … Every year a plaque, and being able to put mine up is a source of pride. I've thought about it my whole life, but I never thought I'd come to this moment. I've had a difficult career, and to be able to put on this plaque is exceptional. »
On Sunday November 15, the Iberian also became the first world champion from a satellite team since the start of the MotoGP era in 2002. “No one in MotoGP had ever won on a satellite team’s bike, ever. I'm the first, so I'm part of the story. When I got this opportunity from Ducati, I told myself I was going to do it. In the end, we are a group of fifteen, or twenty, compared to a factory of 200 people. Each of them must therefore do the work of ten. It's unique. »
Towards other titles?
While his title could lead to others, Jorge Martín does not yet know if he is ready to be satisfied with having achieved his dream, or if his thirst for victory will push him to always want more.
“I am torn between two things. The first is that I accomplished my life's dream. What is happening now is a gift. I am twenty-six years old. What happens after that is a bonus. But on the other hand, like I told you I'm twenty-six years old. I have maybe eight or ten years left in me, and I hope I can win a lot more world championships. So I'm going to rest a little this month, to assimilate all this, then continue to give my all to accomplish even more dreams” concludes the 2024 world champion.
