Everything actually went like clockwork for Jorge Martín in the MotoGP race in Indonesia. Right from the start, the Pramac-Ducati-Pillot had left all opponents behind and increased its lead to three seconds within the first twelve laps. Everything looked like a confident victory.
But then it happened in turn 11 on the 13th lap: Martín slipped over the front wheel and lost his race lead in the gravel trap – and with it the lead in the World Championship, which he had only secured yesterday with his victory in the sprint.
“It went perfectly. I had a great start and then tried to increase the gap a little,” says Martín, describing his strong initial phase on Sunday.”
Dirt picked up next to the line
“When I saw that I was 2.8 seconds ahead, I was really surprised and said to myself, ‘OK, it’s time to take it easy.’ I came off the line slightly in turn 10 and it seemed a bit dirty. Then when I turned into turn 11, the front wheel slipped, even though I wasn’t doing anything different than the lap before.”
From Martín’s point of view, the dirt on the track was the cause of his crash, not the choice of the soft front tire. “I felt very good about that. The problem was the dirt in turn 10 that caused me to crash,” he explains.
At the time of the crash, despite his big lead, he was “still pushing,” the Pramac pilot continues. “There were still 14 laps to go so I was still focused on being fast. I think I ran an amazing race up to that point.”
Mistakes were bound to happen sooner or later
“It is what it is. It certainly wasn’t easy to maintain concentration when you’re ahead by those seconds. But I drove in a safe mode, let’s put it that way.”
It was foreseeable sooner or later that such a crash would happen to him in the race, says Martín. “I’m just happy that my speed is there and that I’m fast on all tracks. It’s been 14 races without a mistake. And now it’s happened.”
“For the remaining races I am confident that I can fight for victory. […] I’m the fastest at the moment, so I have to stay calm. There are still ten races to go, so there’s still a long way to go,” he looks ahead.
Martín impressed by Bagnaia’s comeback
Thanks to Francesco Bagnaia’s victory, Martín is now eight points behind in the World Cup. When asked whether he had expected such a comeback from 13th on the grid, the Spaniard said: “I didn’t know that he was already third at the time of my crash. I tried to drive my own race.”
“I’m impressed with his comeback, but we all know that Pecco is a little stronger on Sunday. He did a great job,” he said, praising Bagnaia’s performance.
While Bagnaia drove the race with the hard front tire, Maverick Vinales, who was his first pursuer when Martín was in the lead, was on the soft compound. He ponders about Martín’s crash: “I don’t know. Maybe the soft front tire wasn’t good enough for this rhythm.”
He himself “could perhaps have followed Martín for five or six laps,” says the Aprilia rider. “But if I had done that, my rear tire would have been exhausted. I had to slow down because that wasn’t my pace.”
“I knew it was going to be a long race. I was focused so I didn’t overheat the rear tire.” In the end it wasn’t enough for victory, but it was second place.