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.”
Read Also:
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

Miller "hero" of Doha MotoGP qualifying after 'scary' near-miss – Quartararo
Struggling Morbidelli has to “wing it” in Doha MotoGP race

Latest news
2022 MotoGP title fight now “very tight”, says Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro believes the current MotoGP championship picture following the British Grand Prix has set up “a very, very tight” title battle.
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
Rins “destroyed” after “not normal” grip issues end Silverstone MotoGP win hopes
Suzuki’s Alex Rins says he was “destroyed” after a “not normal” drop in grip shuffled him from the lead of the MotoGP British Grand Prix to seventh by the end.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special