After closing to within 16 points of Bagnaia with a double victory at Sachsenring, Martin remains in second but has now dro🌼pped 62 points adrift of the reigning champion.

The Pramac Ducati rider returned to the top three for the first time since Germany on Saturday in Austria, 🦩but a long lap penalty for the main race dropꦡped him back into the pack and he could only salvage seventh.

“I felt it w🏅as൲ the best position I could achieve today starting from twelfth,” Martin said. “I did an amazing start and was with the podium group, but then went back to 14th. So I lost time overtaking a lot of riders and had to use too much rear tyre.

“It’s a pity because I had the pace to fight for - not first position - but for sure second was a real possibility. So no📖w its three weekends where we lost our chance for the [GP] podium.”

While the MotoGP season is only at its midway stage, Martin believes another bad result next time in Barcelona will mea💎n “we will have to fight for second”.

“I felt I wa𒉰s the only one who coul𒁏d put some pressure on [Bagnaia] today. Maybe not for the win, because he was really fast at the end, but I feel I was the only one who could be closer.

“I was losing a little bit [to Bagnaia] on corner 9 but the ಌrest I was really♎ close or faster than him.

“So I hope we can put together a good qualifying iꦡn Montmelo because it will be key to battle for this championship, if not then we ꦆwill have to fight for second.”

Martin: Sprint pile-up ‘not my fault’

Martin said he still didn’t accept the long lap penalty decision made by the FIM Stewards following the first turn pile-up in ꧂the Sprint race.

“No, no. I watched it a lot of times and I spoke with a lot of riders, like Randy Mamola, a lot of journalists… If you watch again and 💖again you understand it was not my fault. It was just a combined situatio🌊n,” said Martin.

“We have something [on Sunday] t🍸hat was an e🍸ven more aggressive from another rider and nothing happened.

“I think they had to take somebody [for] a penalty, to punish for t🥂he action and they chose the easy option maybe.”

The Spaniard also regretted that the penal✱ty decision came after the Sprint race had finished and therefore compromised his chances in the full points Grand Prix.

“It’s a pity that if the Stewards are unable to do a penalty during a Sprint race ♚then you have to get it during the main race, which is more important and if you are fighting for a championship it destroys your possibilities.”

Martin r🃏emains just six points clear of VR46 Ducati rider Marco Bezzecchi, who was taken down in the Sprint pile-up, 🙈then finished third on Sunday.