Martín: "There are no team orders, I go my own way and do my best"

The dominance of the Ducati at the Red Bull Ring has been reflected by placing five bikes in the top six positions, the Spanish finishing fourth, with the serious drawback that his direct rival in the fight for access to the official team, Enea Bastianini, will leave from pole.

“The truth is that the bike is working well on this circuit, personally I don’t feel completely comfortable and I’m saving the furniture a bit, but we started fourth on the grid, very close to the front row,” said Jorge Martín when asked about dominance of Italian motorcycles on this track.

“The pace is good for tomorrow’s race, I think we are all very close in that sense. It will depend a lot on tire management to get to the end well,” added Pramac ‘s man.

There are many Ducati riders ahead and all of them, a priori, with options for victory, but right now only one seems to have a chance of fighting for the title, Pecco Bagnaia, who somehow asked the manufacturer for help this Saturday in Austria.

Martin was asked if team orders have been suggested to help the Italian.

“No, I go to mine, I have to do a good job and I will do the best I can regardless of whether he is there or not,” he made it clear.

Martín’s particular fight, in addition to himself, is with Bastianini, with whom a place in the official team is at stake in 2023. Gresini’s will start on pole.

“That topic is something I don’t want to think about anymore, I’ve been thinking about this little battle all year and I’m already tired. I just want to do my best and drive as fast as I can,” he said.

Despite starting five Ducati in the top six, there in the middle the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo resists, who will start fifth on the grid surrounded by Italian bikes.

“I see Fabio doing well, he brakes very late and he will be a difficult driver for the race. We have extra power that may make him suffer, personally I hope to go forward, not backward”.

Despite admitting that the bike is doing well on this track, Martín wanted to give value to the work of the riders.

“I don’t think it’s a Ducati, Suzuki or Yamaha issue. It’s clear that the riders who are ahead on this circuit have always been competitive here, I think it’s more a rider issue, and more so today than all the bikes. They are so even. It is not a Ducati issue on this circuit, we are four strong riders who are in front of a Yamaha,” he claimed.

Another hot spot of the weekend is whether the new chicane favors the Ducati or the Yamaha more.

“I think it doesn’t affect me, in T1 I was one of the fastest throughout the weekend, so I would particularly say that it favors me”.

Finally, Martin was asked to give a favorite for this Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring.

“Difficult to say, right now Bastianini is the top favorite because he has taken pole, but I would tell you that the top seven have the pace to win,” settled the Spaniard.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing