MotoGP News: Francesco Bagnaia Comments On Nervous Jorge Martin After Sprint Race Victory

Saajan Jogia | 11 Hours Ago

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Francesco Bagnaia (1) of Italy and Ducati Lenovo Team rides during the qualifying session for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, fresh off his sprint race victory in Barcelona, commented on his championship rival Jorge Martin, observing that Martin seemed nervous on Saturday. Bagnaia's win earned him a two-point edge over Martin, narrowing the championship gap from 21 points to 19.

Bagnaia also claimed pole position in the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona qualifying, while Martin will start Sunday’s race from fourth. Despite Bagnaia's strong showing, Martin remains in a favorable position in the championship battle. To secure the 2024 MotoGP title, his first in the premier class category, the Pramac rider only needs a top-nine finish in the Grand Prix, even if Bagnaia wins the race.

Noting Martin's nervousness, Bagnaia was reminded of his 2022 MotoGP championship battle against Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo, when he similarly started the season finale, leading over Quartararo with a gap of 23 points. Explaining his 2022 situation and comparing it to Martin's, Bagnaia said:

“I remember perfectly [the] 2022 [season] and I think Jorge is suffering a bit [of] pressure but it's normal.

“I saw all the weekend he was quite nervous and this is something normal.

“I think when it is racing, he can manage the situation well. He did a very good job today, he managed to start in the second row, he managed to finish on the podium, so I don't think it will be that tricky.

“I expect a race like today [on Sunday with] Jorge cruising without taking risks. He will have a lot of margin because if I win he can finish ninth, so this is quite a difficult situation, similar to mine in 2022.”

While Martin overtook Bagnaia's teammate, Enea Bastianini, during the sprint race to take second place, Bastianini fought back towards the closing stages of the race to reclaim second, which cost Martin two precious points. Applauding the move, Bagnaia added:

“I wanted to gain as many points as possible and still have 19 points to recover instead of 21, two points that make a difference.

“I was hoping above all that Enea would make it, because I could see on the big screens that he was close. Besides, he passed him at turn 5, so he was very good."

Confirming that he was indeed nervous after the qualifying session to the point that he couldn't eat, Martin said:

“I was quite nervous after qualifying when I was eating, I almost didn't eat anything today.

“I was quite nervous at that point but I tried to ‘live’ a little bit, have cold water, a cold shower.

“For the race I was quite calm, I was in a good moment. The plan is to do the same things as always, so I will try to do the same tomorrow. I will try to be at my 100%, and if at the end I can manage I will manage, and if not I will push, [it] depends upon the situation.”

Bagnaia will start the Solidarity GP from pole position, with Aleix Espargaro and Marc Marquez lining up in second and third, respectively. Martin will begin the race from fourth.