It’s time to take stock. Like every year for three years, Let's talk MotoGP is embarking on a fairly important undertaking: taking stock of each driver at the end of the 2024 season, today, Jorge Martin's turn. For a good part of the winter, we will go back through the rankings in reverse, to the point of talking in detail about the world champion's campaign. Are you ready? Here we go!
Yesterday, we returned to the case of Pecco Bagnaia; click here to find the corresponding article.
Not just regular
Who can say that Jorge Martin had a bad 2024 season? Just the fact of being titled in a satellite team makes his year absolutely historic, that goes without saying. This is the point I would like to start with: the “Martinator” achieved a feat, nothing less. I was able, the day after his coronation, to claim that he had perhaps not had a better campaign than in 2023where it was, it is true, closer to Bagnaia in many respects. But history takes precedence over this analysis. If we had to summarize his epic journey in one word, “regularity” might be appropriate.
In history. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Jorge Martin has been absolutely clinical all year. If we except this wet San Marino Grand Prix where he stopped in the pits for nothing, he has never finished a race beyond fourth place, you know. Yes, he had the best bike, but the same as his rival, on the one hand, and that doesn't take anything away from this feat. Every time the lights went out,
Martin was in the mix, we could have expected him. Let's omit this famous GP in Misano and its crashes, he only finished one Grand Prix outside the podium places, in the United States.
I maintain that Pecco Bagnaia scuttled itself, and
one could see it as a sort of attack on Jorge. For me, the Italian had the keys to the title but lost them. Martin has the merit of having put himself in a position to beat Pecco if he came to terms with his philosophy, his way of racing. And that's what happened. Martin perhaps did not defeat Bagnaia because he is Martin or because he performed exceptionally well – at least less than last year – but because he stayed on his wheels , and above all, that he never released the pressure.
Concerning regularity, many criticized him for falling at critical moments. As for Bagnaia – pilot with whom he shares a new mentality –, Martin often falls from the lead because he is always in the lead. And this year, despite what a lot of observers have said, he has very rarely broken down. There's a crash in Jerez, okay, that misstep in Germany, of course, as well as two major Sprint blunders, in Italy and Indonesia. But ultimately, nothing so serious, and nothing comparable to Bagnaia, although the latter is not more sensitive to pressure.
However, it should be noted that it is not just a matter of consistency. To beat Bagnaia, being a grocer is not enough. Certainly, he only has three victories, and was perhaps less incisive, less sharp than in 2023. But he still remained a poison in qualifying, capable of high-class overtaking, among other highlights. Martin wasn't the fastest, but that doesn't mean he only relied on his consistency.
Even in Barcelona, he was in front, daring. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
A mental tour de force
A bit like I mentioned in my analysis after the Solidarity Grand Prix in Barcelona, it seems to me that Martin's greatest victory is not this title, acquired against a stronger opponent. Having done better than last year is even greater. At the end of 2023, we could legitimately think that his only chance to fight for a crown was behind him, and that it might never happen again. Firstly, because Bagnaia had not been as dominant as this season in the events, and secondly, because the small gap which separated them in Valencia seemed enormous. Martin was close, but so far. And yet, at only 26 years old, he managed to overcome this disappointment, to come back even stronger, mentally, in a year shaken up by rumors of the transfer window; which, moreover, did not go in his favor.
Can you imagine how difficult it is to say to yourself, after a defeat, that the past year has resulted in a failure, and that you have to remobilize for twenty more races, but by doing harder? It is for this reason that this world title is well deserved.
Is he a great champion?
As I repeat quite often, not all titles are equal, and not all victories are equal. This is the harsh law of time. Some champions are bigger than others, that's how it is. Where should Jorge Martin be placed in history? I am not talking, here, about the quality of his season, but rather about the mark he will leave as a crowned winner. To compare him to other recent champions, I would say that he is not yet at the level of Bagnaia, who has two, but that he has surpassed Fabio Quartararo for example. I found his season more complete, more striking. No need to mention Joan Mir, out of respect. He is bigger than Kenny Roberts Jr. and Nicky Hayden although beating Valentino Rossi is not for everyone. In an all-time ranking, I would say he is not far from a Kevin Schwantz, for example. Though… there is a real debate! Let me know what you think in the comments, but it's very difficult.
Conclusion
Obviously, Martin makes a huge champion, which can be compared to ancient legends. This season was about celebrating his resilience, his lack of fear behind the wheel. Until the end, he didn't give up, even taking all the risks in Malaysia when he could have, if he had wanted, let Bagnaia run to ruin. Martin is tall, and his good humor, although not very useful to the “MotoGP show” which is so dear to my heart, is more than respectable.
This is the end of this retrospective of the 2024 season of all the drivers including the replacements! Don't worry, the analyzes will not stop, and we will very soon look at this incredible 2025 season that awaits us.
Do you share this opinion on Jorge Martin? Tell me in the comments!
As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial staff.
Right on target. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
