“Martinator” had enormous pressure on his shoulders before this last race of the MotoGP season, which he entered with 19 points ahead of the double title holder.
But the 26-year-old from Madrid did not give in and, like the day before during the sprint, he finished third after showing control and composure. This result allows him to finally edge the Turinese by 10 points at the end of a season full of twists and turns (508 against 498).
“It's an incredible feeling, I'm still in shock, I still don't realize it. My career hasn't been easy, it's been a long road, I've worked hard and made big sacrifices to get through it. improve. Thanks to Pramac and Ducati for allowing me to have a fantastic bike for four years”, exulted Martin, who will ride an Aprilia from Tuesday during the end of season tests.
Starting in pole position under the Catalan sun, Bagnaia managed to take off to keep the lead at the first corner and never let it go again, despite the pressure imposed by six-time Spanish world champion Marc Marquez (Ducati-Gresini) for a few laps.
“I will accept (defeat) in a few days… I gave my best by winning the last three races but Jorge was better than me this season, he was more consistent. I made a few mistakes and I “I also had bad luck, but I'm happy for Jorge because he really deserves it, he had an exceptional season,” analyzed the Italian.
Martin, fourth on the grid after not taking too many risks during qualifying, had, as is often the case, a very good start which allowed him to take second place at the end of the pit straight.
– Espargaro, Martin's bodyguard –
But when Marquez, who was fighting for third place in the championship with Enea Bastianini (Ducati), attacked him on the second lap, he did not put up much resistance to avoid any contact that could have ruined his title chances.
The Madrilenian let the Catalan escape and had to resist an aggressive Bastianini who tried to overtake him several times, without success. The attempt to destabilize Bagnaia's teammate, however, did not last very long since Aleix Espargaro, a great friend of Martin, got involved in the fight.
The stage local, born a few kilometers from the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit and who was competing in the 255th and final Grand Prix of his MotoGP career, overtook Bastianini and then resisted him heroically, playing Martin's bodyguard in order to to allow him to widen the gap and take a breather.
The “Martinator” was then able to calmly manage the rest of the race, leaving Marquez to climb to the second step of the podium and settling for a third place synonymous with his first world title.
He was then able to savor this coronation to the delight of the more than 60,000 spectators present at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit by performing a few “burns” with his motorcycle, before putting on the golden helmet reserved for the world champion and melting into tears in the arms of his parents.
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