Jorge Martin crowned a perfect MotoGP weekend with a victory at Le Mans on Sunday. In a thrilling duel he beat his Ducati colleagues Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez in the final laps. This is the fourth time that the Pramac driver has achieved the feat of taking pole position and both victories in the Sprint and Grand Prix. His lead over second-placed Bagnaia in the drivers’ standings is now 38 points.
“It was one of the best weekends of my career,” Martin happily summarized the past three days. “To win in front of this sensational backdrop here at Le Mans and beat Bagnaia and Marquez is simply outstanding.” The Spaniard had to fight hard for this victory. He initially pursued Bagnaia for a long time while he was lying in second place before he attacked seven laps before the end and then successfully defended himself.
Jorge Martin: Who is number 1 here?
“In the last laps I was pretty nervous, I wanted to open a gap so that they couldn’t attack me at the end. But I made a mistake and they came back close. In the last lap I just pushed hard,” Martin explained his successful tactics in the press conference. The necessary self-confidence probably made the difference again at Le Mans. “I know I’m strong, but sometimes I have some doubts and maybe I forget how good I am,” he grinned. “When I crossed the finish line, I just screamed: Who’s number 1?”
And although the ‘Martinator’ is in such impressive form and is currently causing major problems for the MotoGP competition, its future is not yet clear. The starting point remains unchanged: Martin really wants to go Promote Ducati factory team. However, if Ducati chooses Marc Marquez or Enea Bastianini as teammates for Bagnaia, the 26-year-old will want to join another factory team. The dominant performance at the French GP doesn’t change that, as Martin made clear after the race.
Jorge Martin: Victories in Le Mans and Barcelona don’t change anything
“I don’t have to prove anything anymore,” Martin is sure about his future. “Even the things that happen in the next races, whether I win or crash, won’t change that. I’ve already done everything I could have done and I’m very happy with that.” Ducati itself announced at Le Mans that the decision should be made by the home game in Mugello (May 31st – June 2nd). Gigi Dall’Igna also stated that the pilots’ entire MotoGP careers will be taken into account in the decision. This can of course be clearly interpreted in the direction of Marc Marquez, as he has six world championship titles in the premier class, while Martin and Bastianini have none yet.
After the race in Le Mans, Martin reacted accordingly with skepticism about the impending solution to the Ducati luxury problem. “So many people ask me about it, I don’t want to say anything more about it. Whether I win in Barcelona or not, even if I hadn’t won here, I would be the same driver. That won’t change the decision. As it happens, it will It’ll be fine.”
However, Martin is sticking to his approach. “I really want to join the Ducati factory team. If they don’t want me for some reason, then I’ll give my talent to other people,” the 17-time Grand Prix winner once again sent a clear message to his employer.
MotoGP fans have exciting weeks and months ahead. Both on and off the track, the Ducati battle between Bagnaia, Martin and Marquez seems to give us plenty to talk about. In two weeks (May 24th – 26th) the next stop of the season in Barcelona awaits the pilots of the premier class. Just a week later we head to Mugello for the Ducatisti home game.