Jorge Martín could afford to ensure an average result and still achieve a good operation in the championship this Sunday, in Malaysia. However, he used great measures to try to prevent the escape of Pecco Bagnaia at the head of the race.
At the first start, the two men jostled, taking all the risks to try to decide between them. Then on the restart, after the interruption due to the accident which notably involved Jack Miller, it was the Italian who took the advantage at the first acceleration to position himself in the lead again. Except that Martín, in his wheel, launched the hostilities without delay and now both engaged in a skirmish of exceptional beauty for three laps!
“It was a great race!” rejoices the Pramac pilot. “I had a lot of fun. Thanks to Pecco, because, thanks to his level, I'm improving mine too. We're getting stronger and stronger every day. I don't think we've ever had a fight like this in our entire career, with 11 overtakes in three laps, I was told!”
“I'm very happy to have been able to fight against Pecco. It's very difficult to attack a driver like him, he brakes so, so hard! But I managed it. I think if I had been able to keep first place for a full lap, that would have changed everything a bit, but he had incredible pace in the end and it was too risky for me to continue attacking. I just tried to control my lead on the rider behind and. to go to the end.”
This fight at loggerheads indeed entailed great risks and Martín preferred to let his opponent slip away: “I could have been a little calmer but I felt I could fight with him, so I tried. But at one point I felt it was too much of a risk, I got behind. The problem was that as soon as I got behind him, everything started to malfunction. I also had Marc, who was quite close, and so I had to push. When Marc fell, it was a big one. relief for me because I was ahead of Enea.”
VIDEO – Summary of the Malaysian Grand Prix
While the positions stabilized for a long time, Martín suddenly got really hot four laps from the finish, in the corner that had trapped Bagnaia yesterday. “When Marc fell, I relaxed a little too much. I said to myself 'OK, second place is enough, I'll continue like this'… But I saw that Pecco was also relaxing a little, so I thought that if I attacked, I might be able to get closer.”
“I think I regained four tenths in one lap, so I kept pushing. I could see it was widening because the track conditions were very difficult today, but I widened a little in the turn 9 and almost fell, like in Japan, so I said to myself that was enough, second place is perfect, we'll see next time!” Martin explains. And to add: “It was physical too, the last three laps were difficult, so I just tried to go to the end.”
Martín salutes Bagnaia's victory as a gentleman, while emphasizing his own ability to withstand the pressure that this day entailed. “Everything was on his side to win today, he had a lot of risks to take. I could have fought a little more but it didn't make sense. I think I could have gotten that first position but It involved too many risks. It's important because in terms of driving, I think we were very, very close, there was no difference at all, it was more mental. he had everything to win today.”
In any case, the main thing is elsewhere this evening for the championship leader, who scored seven points more than his rival over the entire weekend. “It’s good, these are important additional points in the championship,” he remembers, author of his 14th podium of the season. “I'm happy to score seven more points from this round. I feel a little closer to the final goal, but nothing is done until it's over so you have to stay super focused. I will believe in it until the end, that's for sure.”
After promising to donate his victory bonus to the victims of the bad weather in Valencia on Saturday, Jorge Martín had a thought for them again this Sunday, and he took the podium with the flag of the affected region. “It's still not a good day today after what happened in Spain. This podium is for them. I'm going to try to win the championship, not for me but for my team and the people who 'surround and truly deserve it.'
