Jorge Martin Warns of Sachsenring Grip Crisis

Jorge Martin warned that he currently has no clear strengths at the Sachsenring after struggling for both front and rear grip during German MotoGP Practice.

The championship leader still secured direct passage into Q2 by finishing eighth. However, his best lap was 0.600 seconds behind Marc Marquez and 0.447 seconds slower than Raul Fernandez, the fastest Aprilia rider.

Martin was only 0.015 seconds behind team-mate and closest title rival Marco Bezzecchi. Both riders progressed directly into Q2, but the gap to Fernandez indicated that more performance remained available from the RS-GP.

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“I always feel like I am behind because I have never ridden the Aprilia here. I feel a big difference compared with the last time I raced here on the Ducati,” Martin said.

Martin identified Turns 7, 8 and 9 as the main areas where he was losing time. He intends to use data from the other Aprilia riders, who were faster during Friday’s running, to improve his corner speed.

“At the moment I do not feel any rear grip and the front is moving a lot on the edge of the corners, so I have no strong points right now,” he said.

Martin believes his current pace is not yet sufficient to fight for victory, although he considers a podium result achievable. Without an improvement in grip and stability, he expects the race to be difficult.

After taking Sprint victory at COTA and winning both the Sprint and Grand Prix at Le Mans, Martin stressed that Aprilia must continue developing as Ducati and the other manufacturers have made significant progress. His next objective is to find an improvement on Saturday before qualifying and the races.