Jorge Martin: Wins in smaller classes “better” than first MotoGP pole
Pramac rookie Jorge Martin admits winning races in Moto2 and Moto3 felt “better” than scoring his maiden MotoGP pole position on Saturday ahead of the Doha Grand Prix.
The Spaniard will start Sunday’s second round of the 2021 MotoGP season at the head of the pack after beating Pramac team-mate Johann Zarco to pole in Qatar with a 1m53.106s.
Martin is the first rookie MotoGP pole winner to do so on a Ducati and the first debutant to take top honours in qualifying since Fabio Quartararo in 2019.
He stepped up to MotoGP with Pramac this year having won the 2018 Moto3 title and scoring 10 race victories in Moto3 and Moto2.
When asked to compare his first MotoGP pole with his wins in the lower categories, Martin said: “It’s difficult to say because to win is something different.
“To win is the most you can do in a GP and you did the work perfectly.
“For sure the first pole in MotoGP is something different also, but I think it’s much better a win in Moto2 or Moto3 than to make a pole position in MotoGP.”
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Martin’s Doha pole comes having only had 10 days on his Ducati MotoGP bike in 2021, following the severely curtailed pre-season.
But the Pramac rider admits he expected a MotoGP bike to harder to ride than it is so far proving to be for him.
“It’s nice to ride these bikes,” he added.
“I mean, I thought it was much more difficult to ride a MotoGP bike.
“For sure at the beginning you feel everything is new and difficult, but you can push actually to another level just because of the tyres, the power, the brakes, the gearbox – everything is better.
“So, in the lap I felt quite ok. Maybe the front was already used from the first run and you push a little bit and that’s why I felt on the limit.
“But I wasn’t doing many crazy things and the bike was really stable.”
Martin immediately put thoughts of a maiden MotoGP win on Sunday out his mind after qualifying, and once again reiterated that his practice pace suggests he doesn’t have “the potential” to fight for victory yet.
“Tomorrow I think is the time to be a rookie,” he said of the race.
“I don’t have pressure and not even the potential yet to win because my pace is still… in FP4 for sure we did a step, but still from these [top] guys I’m maybe four tenths [behind].
“So, it’s impossible to think about a win.
“Anything can happen in a race, but I need them to crash or six or seven riders [to crash], to win and it’s not what I want.
“What I want is to beat them when I am ready.”
Related video
Previous article
Miller "hero" of Doha MotoGP qualifying after 'scary' near-miss – Quartararo
Next article
Struggling Morbidelli has to “wing it” in Doha MotoGP race
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Author | Lewis Duncan |
Where does Honda's new MotoGP signing sit ahead of its king's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Has Yamaha banished its demons with its 2021 MotoGP bike?
Against the expected run of play at Qatar's Losail circuit, both Yamaha riders Maverick Vinales and Fabio Quartararo carved through a resolute Ducati defence to secure back-to-back MotoGP wins for the Japanese marque. After a difficult 2020, it appears that Yamaha has swaggered back into championship contention
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
Did the Qatar GP hint at Ducati’s true MotoGP leader?
OPINION: Johann Zarco talked a big game pre-season, and is so far vindicating himself as a factory rider at Pramac after finishing the Qatar GP as top Ducati in second. And contrasting his and Jack Miller's weekends and their approaches, is Zarco emerging as Ducati's true MotoGP leader?
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?
