In his debut from pole position in MotoGP, the rider from San Sebastián de los Reyes (Madrid) went off like a rocket again and stayed at the front of the race for 18 laps. Martín came close to victory until Fabio Quartararo passed him four laps from the end.
From that moment on, the objective of the Moto3 champion in 2018 was focused on tying second place, but his teammate Johann Zarco hit him with an ax on the last lap.
“Very happy, maybe I know a little bit a little for having lost the second position at the end, but before the race I would have signed it”, commented Martín after getting on the podium for the first time in MotoGP. “I have had a very mature weekend, we have taken giant steps forward, I have been riding this bike for a month and being on the podium is unique in my second race”.
“I have not lacked anything to win, I lack laps and speed a little. I haven’t changed my pace much in the laps, I’m happy with my style and the way I’m improving. I’m sure I’ve improved from the last race. I have done everything I have set out to do,” he said.
Martín did not want to take more risks than necessary because it was his teammate.
“I have seen myself first, there has been a moment that I thought I could win. When Fabio passed me I thought it could happen to him, but I couldn’t. It was not my goal. If it had not been Zarco who passed me at the end, I would have fought for the position, but he is fighting for the World Cup and has another role in the team. I controlled the race well, I’m happy for the team. We lacked a little the relationship that Zarco and I have, a young driver, and I think that is transmitted in the environment of the box”, he explained.
Martín’s podium does not make him forget that he is a rookie and that his goals are others.
“When we go to other circuits where we haven’t ridden it will be more complicated, we have to do laps and keep learning. There are no limits, you can always improve, it’s just the beginning and my second race. There is a lot of margin and I can get very high. I dedicate it to Fausto Gresini, a very important person in my career”, he stressed.