Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) is the 2024 MotoGP™ World Champion! The Spaniard went into the decisive weekend at the Solidarity GP in Barcelona with a lead of 24 points and held his nerve to win his first premier class title by 10 points and become the first rider from an independent team to win the MotoGP™ title. era to get.
Martin made his debut on the world stage in 2015 with Mapfre Mahindra and rose to prominence after winning the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. He scored his first point at the season opener in Qatar and became a regular contender for the top 15. At the end of his rookie year he finished 17th overall. The following season, the rider from Madrid took another step forward – including his first wet podium finish in Brno. However, he also missed a few races due to injury, so he finished the season just one place higher in 16th place overall.
In 2017, Martin cemented his place at the top when he moved to Del Conca Gresini Moto3 and started the year third on the podium in Qatar. He took nine pole positions and eight more podiums this season – but it took a long time for him to get his first win. The Spaniard finally got it at the season finale in Valencia. With his first win on the top step of the podium, he was perfectly positioned to attack the crown the following year, finishing fourth overall.
2018 started perfectly with Martin winning in Qatar and it was a year that saw the Spanish star make his mark on the Grand Prix scene. He took seven wins and set a new Moto3™ record with eleven pole positions, but most importantly was the Moto3™ World Championship title. Martin was world champion for the first time when he switched to Moto2™ with Red Bull KTM Ajo in 2019.
A difficult year for driver and machine followed in his first season in the intermediate class, and it was not until the Japanese Grand Prix that Martin returned to the podium. That third place was backed up by a second place in Australia, which was a good end to the season for one of the most promising Grand Prix drivers and set the stage for 2020.
Three podiums followed in the first six races of 2020, including a Moto2™ debut win in Austria. But when Martin was just eight points behind leader Luca Marini, he was forced to miss the San Marino and Emilia-Romagna Grands Prix after testing positive for Covid-19, and two more zeros cost him dearly in his bid to win Moto2 ™ to become world champion.
The story of Prima Pramac Racing and Jorge Martin began in 2021 when the two joined forces in the premier class. And the first chapter was unforgettable! Martin took pole position on his second outing and took third place at the Qatar GP, which immediately caused a stir in MotoGP™. However, a serious crash at the next race in Portimao left Martin with eight fractures and forced him to sit out four races. Nevertheless, Martin conquered these demons and won the Austrian GP from pole position. He backed up this first victory the following weekend with a third place from pole position.
With a second place in Valencia to cap off a MotoGP™ rookie season with ups and downs, 2022 promised a lot – but delivered a little less. The start was more difficult as Martin failed to reach his full potential, but his second season ended with four podiums – none of them a win.
After a more difficult than expected 2022, Martin went into 2023 with the aim of a much more consistent season. However, the start to the year was not entirely smooth, as there were two retirements in the first three races on Sunday, before a fourth place finish got the ball rolling on home soil in Jerez. In France he achieved his first Tissot sprint victory, which was crowned with a double podium in Mugello in Italy. And from there, Martin's title fight against Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) was born. Martin became the sprint king in 2023 as the #89 won seven of the last nine Saturday races. After winning three Sunday races in the second half of the season, Martin came to the season finale in Valencia 21 points behind Pecco.
After his victory in the sprint, Martin was able to reduce the gap – but the national hero was eliminated on Sunday. Martin narrowly missed out on the MotoGP™ title last season, which only fueled his drive to do better in 2024.
A sprint win and third place on Sunday in Qatar was a solid start to 2024, followed by the first 25-point haul in Portugal. After Round 2, Martin was leading the championship and has only lost the championship lead once since then to Bagnaia. The key to Martin's success in 2024? Resistance. Between laps 5 and 18, Martin only missed Sunday's podium twice – once in Germany, when he crashed out of the lead with two laps to go, and once at the San Marino GP, when a tire change gamble didn't pay off.
After six second places in this phase, Martin returned to winning ways on Sunday in Indonesia after a sprint crash and became favorite for the title. With a second place in Japan, a sprint win and a second place in Australia and two second places in Thailand, Martin traveled to Malaysia with a 17 point lead over Pecco.
In the sprint, Martin was excellent and scored a decisive 12 points when Pecco crashed out of second place in dramatic fashion. That meant Martin went into Sunday's 20-lap race in Sepang with a 29-point lead, and with a second place finish, Martin secured a healthy 24-point lead over Pecco ahead of the crucial #TheRematch race.
In Barcelona, Martin qualified fourth and took third place in the Tissot Sprint to go into Sunday's race with a simple goal – 9th place or better. And that's exactly what he did. Despite Bagnaia's perfect weekend, Martin secured third place in front of his home fans and became world champion in 2024 – a year after missing out on the crown in Valencia. A phenomenal performance from the #89 rider, who became a two-time world champion before moving from Ducati to Aprilia in 2025.
Congratulations to Jorge and Prima Pramac Racing on an impressive season!
