MotoGP News: Jorge Martin Not Confident With Bike After P2 Finish - 'Still Finding Our Base Set-Up'

Prima Pramac Racing rider Jorge Martin admitted a lack of confidence with his bike this weekend at Silverstone, attributing his struggle to the team's difficulty in finding the perfect "base set-up."

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Jorge Martin (89) of Spain and Prima Pramac Racing rides in warmups before the start of the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Prima Pramac Racing rider Jorge Martin admitted a lack of confidence with his bike this weekend at Silverstone, attributing his struggle to the team's difficulty in finding the perfect "base set-up." This challenge allowed Enea Bastianini to stay close and ultimately take the lead when Martin made a mistake, resulting in his second-place finish in the British Grand Prix.

Bastianini capitalized on a mistake from Martin at turn three, seizing the opportunity to take the lead. Although this error handed Bastianini the advantage, the new championship leader acknowledged that preventing the factory rider from winning would have been impossible regardless.

Unfortunately for Martin, he was on the brink of clinching his first Grand Prix victory since Le Mans but fell short by a small margin. At 241 points, he leads in the Championship Standings by a mere three points over Francesco Bagnaia. Calling out the setup problem on his bike, Martin told the media:

"From my side I didn't feel good confidence with the front all weekend. 

"I struggled quite a lot. Today we did a small step and I think we are still finding our base set-up, let's say. 

"I don't know why we always change from Saturday to Sunday but today it was a bit better, but I didn't feel 100% and it was moving a little bit. 

"Behind Pecco I actually felt good but when I was in front I struggled to stop the bike. 

"When I saw that Enea was close I was pushing to keep him behind but I made this mistake. I think the result would have been the same."

A costly mistake in Germany, which saw him drop out from a front-running position for the third time this season, not only handed his title rival Bagnaia a surprise victory but also allowed him to take a 10-point lead in the standings. When asked if he had bounced back from his mistake, he added:

"I think that either Sachsenring wasn't that bad, or that here it was the best day. 

"We need to get a balance from all the season and I think we are doing an amazing job. 

"The summer break wasn't my best one because I was a bit unhappy for sure. But doing a solid result like this one is fantastic and second was the maximum. 

"I tried to do a really intelligent race and manage things. The pace was fast and I tried to win until the end but Enea was catching. 

"I tried to stay with him but it was impossible to beat him. He was on another level today. Let's try to improve where we need some confidence."

MotoGP heads to Austria in two weeks, a race Martin is optimistic about. He said:

"I am 100% focused on what I can control.

"I cannot control if someone beats me. If I do my best, I do my best. 

"Today was second and hopefully in Austria it will be a better result. 

"Whatever comes, I will try to enjoy, enjoy the feeling and enjoy everything that happens on the track."