Jorge Martin’s 2024 MotoGP season has hardly been disappointiꦿng, having won two Grands Prix and currently sitting only five points out of the championsh꧒ip lead.

However, he’s only beaten Fr🉐ancesco Bagnaia twice in the last eight Grands Prix, a number he clearly needs to iꦆncrease if he is to prize the World Championship from the reigning champion’s grasp.

The difference between the two is “miniscule,” according to TNT Sports MotoGP pundit Michael Laverty, “becausꦡe they’re two riders on top of their game. ✅;

They have similar machinery, obviously the engineering power of a factory team— maybe number crunching overnight, being able to improve the bike from the Sprint to the main race, that’s probably the advantage that 💦Pecco [Bagnaia] has over Jorge [Martin].

“But it’s going to come d෴own to the fight: who wants it more? Pecco’s going to be a three-times [MotoGP] Worl𒉰d Champion if he delivers it this year, Jorge’s after that first [MotoGP] title, so he’s ultra-hungry before he moves to Aprilia next year. This is his real opportunity to be a [MotoGP] World Champion.”

While Laverty thinks this is Martin’s best chance to become champion, looking from a his♏torical perspective it’s clear that Martin is playing a role in the championship that has been taken by the li🍃kes of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa in the past.

“It’s been the same in every era,” Laverty said. “So, imagine how Sete Gibernau felt every week when he was battling Valentino Rossi, likewise whenever you’re battling Casey Stoner in his prime📖, Marc Marquez.

“Right now, Pecco’s on top of his game, you’ve go♉t to say Jorge Martin’s throwing everythi💙ng at him.

“If you changed the dynamic and put Pecco in the sate🀅llite team, maybe Jorge’s that man who doesn’t seem to have a chink in his armour.”

Alex Lowes, also speaking on TNT Sports after the Austrian Grand Prix, agreed with Laverty that being on the factory team is “certainly not a disa൲dvantage, [...] so Jorge Martin is up against it, but there’s a lot of racing still to go.”

Lowes said that the key to winning for Martin is getting in front of Bagnaia early, to prevent him from gꦇetting into his rhythm and allowing him to look after the tyres.

“I wouldn’t say that what he [Martin] needs to do is attack more,” Lowes said, “I mean he attacks every race weekend 100 per cent, Marti🃏n. But it’s so important, the first five laps of the race you need to try to get in front of Pecco.

“If you let him g𝓰et away and riding the lines and controlling the bike, controlling the tyres like he wants, [Martin] can’t seem to get in front of him after that. So he needs to get good starts, get a good qualifying, and get in front of Pecco early.”