Qatar MotoGP: Jorge Martin: “Championship decided by a bad tyre, they didn’t beat us on track”

Jorge Martin has pointed the finger firmly at a ‘bad tyre’ for leaving his 2023 MotoGP title hopes on the ropes in Qatar.
Jorge Martin, MotoGP race, Qatar MotoGP, 19 November
Jorge Martin, MotoGP race, Qatar MotoGP, 19 November

After slashing Francesco Bagnaia advantage to just seven points with victor✨y in the Saturday Sprint, the Pramac rider weaved hopelessy away from the grid with his rear wheel spinning at the start of the grand prix.

Eighth on the opening lap, Martin gained one place when team-mate Johann Zarco ran wide, then another as&nbs🧜p;he slipstreamed around Marc Marquez on lap 5 of 22.

But Martin simply didn’t have the pace and, even with clear air ahead, coꦯntinued to lose ground to the leading group.

By half-distance riders were queuing up to pass him and the Spaniard was left shaking his head in frustration a🐈s he tumbled down the order, eventually crossing the f🏅inish line in tenth place.

Although Bagnaia was beaten to victory by Fabio di Giannantonio, the reigning champion will now tak💫e a commanding 21-point advantage over Martin into next weekend’s Valencia title decider, where 37 points remain up for grabs.

“For sure I wasn't comfortable. You saw already at the start that I had a big spin and you can understand what happened; the rear tyre wasn't working okay,” Mღartin told MotoGP.com.

“I'm really disappointed that the championship is decided🅺 by a bad tyre. But this happened to me. It's a pity. But it is what itꦓ is.

“I struggled a lot. I didn't have rear grip. I couldn't stop the bike. I couldn't turn. I couldn't open the throttle. It was like wet conditio💝ns.

“I think with my experience, I was able to at least make some poin🐷ts [tonight] whic🌃h wasn't easy.

“Now we♈ move on and🎉 hopefully we can do it in Valencia.”

Martin added: “Everything can happen in Va🔯lencia. Pecco can make a mistake. I can win for sure both races - but I can win if I don’t have a tyre like today!

“For sure [the title is] not d🦹ecided yet but it's not the same arriving in Valencia close, than in this condition, just because of a [bad] tyre.

“A bit f🍷rustrated, but I♑ feel like they didn't beat us on the track. They beat us outside.

"So I'm quite relaxed and I feel like𒁏 we deserve this championship.💦”

In response to Martin's claims, Michelin's MotoGP boss Piero Taramasso said they are🌳 still analysing the data but can confirm that his tyre came straight to Qatar after being manufactured and hadn't been used or warmed up on any other occasion before the race.

The #89 selected hard tyres, front and rear, for both Qatar rac🦩es🌃.

After setting the fastest lap in the Sprint he could only man♉age the 11th fastest lap of the grand prix.

His pace-setting 1m 53.355s race lap of Saturday compared with a 1m 53.693s today, when fellꦜow Ducati rider Enea Bastianini (also on hard-h𝓡ard) topped the list with a 1m 52.978s on his final lap.

While Martin lost 0.7s a lap, on average, during the long grand prix compared to his Sprint pace, Bagnaia (who felt he had a tyre problem in the Sprint) gained an average of 0.2s o♒ver all but the standing start lap of the GP.

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at t꧙he forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.

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