JORGE MARTIN SAYS MISANO PACE CAME FROM CHANGING HIS STYLE ON HIGH-GRIP ASPHALT

Jorge Martin said a subtle but decisive shift in how he rode helped him turn around his Misano weekend, moving from 10th in Friday practice to third in the Sprint. The change came on a track he described as unusually grippy, where he felt he had to adapt both his approach and his confidence into the braking zones.

Martin explained that the team made adjustments to the bike, but he felt the biggest difference was his own ability to alter his style. “We changed the bike a bit more, but I think it was more myself, that I was able to change my style a bit,” he said. He added that the circuit’s grip level was the main reason everything felt different compared with what he and the team were used to. “We are not used anymore to tracks with this level of grip, so everything changed a lot.”

The Spaniard’s Sprint performance also reflected a key mental and technical breakthrough: he was able to brake later and stay committed even when he felt he was close to losing the front. “Usually when I'm riding, I feel I'm losing a bit the front. But here, no,” Martin said. He then pinpointed where he had been losing time to the riders ahead, particularly in the braking phase. “So I was losing a lot of time compared to Marco at that point, in the last part of braking.”

What he improved, he said, was continuing the braking process even when he felt he might be about to crash, and then still turning into the corner. “What I improved is just to keep braking even if I feel I'm about to crash, and go in to the corner. And that was the point where I really improved.”

Tyre choice played a major role in the Sprint as well. Martin noted that qualifying had still been an issue on the soft tyre, which is why the team opted for the medium rear in the Sprint. “Qualifying was still an issue with the soft, so that's why we chose the medium [rear tyre in the Sprint].” He also described how the front tyre situation affected his ability to push from behind. Starting fifth, he gained a place on the opening lap and eventually found a way past Fabio di Giannantonio around mid-distance. “I'm pleased with the result, honestly. I think we could have done a bit more starting in front, but behind Fabio I cooked the front tyre,” Martin said.

During the Sprint, Martin said it was extremely difficult to overtake on the medium and soft combinations, especially as the race heated up. “It was so hot and from that point I was really struggling on the edge of the corners.” He added that he struggled to make passes stick and instead tried to stay close enough to pressure the rider ahead. “It was really difficult to overtake him with the medium and him with the soft. So I was trying to be always so close, trying to force him into a mistake, but I saw he wasn't making any!”

Martin described a specific moment where he tried to make the move, referencing Turns 5-6. “So I just went into Turns 5-6… The difficult part was to keep the position even if I wasn't on the right line.” He also said late braking helped him both attack and defend. “I'm happy. I am braking quite late and this for sure helped me to fight or to defend. But I hope that tomorrow we can overtake him a bit faster.”

Asked about challenging Marc Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi over the longer Sunday distance, Martin was candid that he still needs more. “At the moment, I'm not at their level here,” he said. He indicated he would focus on improving specific lines and braking points he saw as opportunities during the Sprint. “I saw in the race a few things that we can improve. So I will focus on myself, trying to improve those lines and those points. And if I'm able to do it, maybe I can close the gap. But it will be really difficult.”

Martin also explained why he could not rely on the soft tyre. “Honestly, I didn't have any other option. I cannot ride with the soft. That's why I'm suffering in the time attacks,” he said. He described the soft tyre as making the front feel overly aggressive and harder to manage. “I feel it's pushing [the front] and everything gets so aggressive and really difficult to manage the bike.” Even though he felt the team improved the bike setup with the soft earlier, he still didn’t feel comfortable on it. “For sure, we improved this morning with the soft, but I'm not feeling quite well with it. So that's why medium was a good option and also good information for the race tomorrow.”

In the Sprint result, Martin finished 3.5 seconds behind Marquez and 2.5 seconds from Bezzecchi, and Marquez’s performance reduced Martin’s MotoGP title advantage to 14 points ahead of Sunday’s race. If Marquez wins on Sunday, Martin would need to finish in the top four to keep the lead he has held since Assen in June.

Beyond the riding changes, Martin also addressed what he took from Marquez’s approach across the weekend. After Marquez won the Misano Sprint to gain ground in the title fight, Martin acknowledged that he could “benefit” from the idea that Marquez may have paced himself in practice. “I don’t know, only he knows that. I think it’s clear that it’s a very physical track, and even I could benefit from pacing myself, to be honest,” Martin said, adding that he may take Fridays easier in the coming races because “today’s Sprint was tough.”

Martin said he sees Marquez and Bezzecchi as the favourites for the moment, even if they downplay it. “But it’s clear he’s very fast and, for me, he and Marco are the favourites. Even though they both say otherwise, they’re a step ahead and are currently in the lead.”

The wider context was clear in the qualifying and practice picture: Bezzecchi set pole for the San Marino Grand Prix after edging Marquez by 0.198s in Q2, while Marquez won the Sprint by 1.068s after forcing his way past at the start. Martin’s own qualifying left him on the back foot, with rivals starting from P2 and P1. And while Marquez topped parts of Friday practice—edging Bezzecchi by 0.060s in FP1—Martin had been further down the order, ranking P8 in FP1 and slipping to P10 in the timed pre-qualifying session.