MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin has admitted he is not really enjoying his time at the Aragon Grand Prix, with a lack of grip proving to be the main culprit behind his struggles.
Martin has not featured at the front in any session so far this weekend, and was the slowest of the three full-time Aprilia riders in qualifying. Starting fifth for the Sprint, he moved up to fourth early on but was eventually pushed back to where he started by Pedro Acosta.
Despite the difficulties, Martin was pleased with his performance, admitting that a top-five finish was more than he expected given the tricky conditions. “I'm happy with the job we did, honestly,” he said after the Sprint. “The feeling is always improving every run, every practice. Today, top-five, honestly, is more than what I expected, so this is good. I think the team is doing a great job helping me to ride faster and with more confidence. But it's been a tricky weekend for me and we are trying to improve.”
The reason for the tricky weekend is simple, Martin added. “I don't feel a lot of grip. Maybe I need to train more flat track because, honestly, I feel I'm always loose. I'm not really enjoying on the motorbike, but this is part of the journey. I need to adapt, I need to understand. I just need more grip from the front. The first few laps I feel good because the tyres are fresh, but then as soon as the drop comes, it's difficult for me to keep the same speed.”
Martin was keen to stress that this lack of front-end performance is not the same as the struggles he faced before the summer break, when his confidence in the front end of the RS-GP was shattered after a crash-strewn Barcelona weekend. “I feel I'm confident, I feel good with the front,” he said. “The thing is that it's dropping, I start to lose grip. So, I think the bike is working really good, I just need to improve to ride when the grip is [getting lower]. But the bike is working well, we didn't change anything and with the same setup we are still competitive.”
Rear tyre choice was not a problem, as both Martin and his Aprilia Racing team-mate Marco Bezzecchi opted for the soft rear tyre, while winner Marc Marquez chose the medium. Martin didn't think the soft was a wrong choice, but acknowledged the medium could be better for the main race. “For us the soft [rear tyre] was okay,” Martin said. “I think medium is better, but I didn't try a lot with the medium, so it was my only option. But I think for tomorrow with the medium we can compensate a bit that difference because today I wasn't that far away, just the last laps because of the soft dropped. So, I think for tomorrow I can be more close.”
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