Martin “studied” Marquez’s sprint battle for their Le Mans MotoGP duel

Martin won the sprint race at Le Mans and went on to finish second in the grand prix on Sunday to register his first main race podium of the season.

It came after the Pramac Ducati rider locked horns with Marquez over runner-up spot on the podium, with the former winning out after the Honda man crashed on the penultimate lap.

After Marquez collided with Martin in Portugal, the Pramac rider says their Le Mans battle was the best way “to solve our problems”.

“I had a really big battle with Marc,” Martin said on Sunday in France.

“I really enjoyed it, because we had a moment in Portimao, so it was [the best way] to solve our problems on the track.

“He was fast, he was aggressive but we were both giving our space. I tried a move in a place that I thought he was struggling a bit, he made a mistake.

“I’m happy for the podium, my first [grand prix] podium of the season. I’ve been fast in the sprint, but Sunday’s podium means a lot.

“After the race we met in the TV compound and he congratulated me for the battle.

“I think he’s one of the toughest guys to battle. Yesterday I was studying his race with Pecco to try to understand how to pass him, even if it was useless.”

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin admits his battle with Marquez ultimately stopped him from being able to challenge Marco Bezzecchi for the win.

But he says this proves he has to get better at overtaking and managing his front tyre pressure when he is riding behind other riders.

“I lost a lot of time,” he added. “It was nice, I enjoyed it a lot, but I lost my opportunities to go with Marco because I felt like my pace was much faster.

“But I need to improve overtaking, I need to improve when I am riding with other riders because I am struggling with the front tyre pressure.

“But it’s ok, I need to learn. I think with him I learned a lot and hopefully I can show it in the next races.”