Jorge Martin’s ominous prediction for Marc Marquez’s first race on a Ducati
Jorge Martin has solved his ಌfairing problem - and comments on Marc Marquez's three-day test
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Jorge Martin watched 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Marc Marquez over the three-day Sepang test and now expects him to fight for the win at the first MotoGP round of the season.
Marquez’s switch from Repsol Honda to Gresini Ducati could create a fascinating addition to the 2024 MotoGP champio🔴nship picture, which Pramac’s Martin hopes to be involved in again.
While Marquez went somewhat un𒀰der the radar at the Sepang test, his rivals are not fooled.
“He’s where I expected,” Martin said about Marquez, who finished sixth-fastest 🥃on Thursday, with the sixth-fastest average lap time over long runs..
꧂“He will be really close to the victory in Qatar.”
MotoGP riders have a two-day test in Qatar before the f𝕴irst round on March 8-10.
Martin, who narrowly missed out on last year’s tit🍸le to facto🅠ry Ducati rival Francesco Bagnaia, was asked if they would resume their battle immediately.
“I don’t know, I don’t ꧒know, whatever,” he replied.
“I am focuse🔯d on myself to improve my skills and my riding skills. The rest will come🧸.
“I can guess that the sprints of last season will help a lot. Hopefully, I can be the one to 𓃲try to beat Pecco.
“I feel ready for everything.
“But these tests? Difficult to analyse. A lot of riders have great pace but we don’t k♑now their tyres.
“It won’t only be Pecco and me. T📖here will be many꧒ more riders.”
Was Martin surprﷺised by anyone at the Sepang test?
“✨No,” he insisted. “All the th🌳ings that I expected happened.
“A lot🐼 of strong riders who will be fighting for the title this season.”
Martin was second-fastest on a product♛ive third and final day of the Sepang test.
He trailed ওpace-setter Bagnaia by +0.172s in an in💖triguing sign for the races ahead.
But his average lap across long runs was better than Bagnaia’s, and second only to 🌠Fabio d💞i Giannantonio.
Crucially, Ma﷽rtin and Pramac have also solved their fairi🐼ng issue.
On Wednesday, Martin com💖plained that he didn’t like the new 2024 fairing - but Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini fed back completely opposite co🔯mments.
Martin has now said: “I was with a new fairing which yesterday I didn’t like. We changed the set-uജp.
“Straight🅷 away, I felt good and I did a great lap.
“I did a small mistake in Turn 3 but the rest of the lap was impressive. Goinౠg under ‘57 was nice.
“Finally, I think yesterday I had a headache because I saw Pecco🍃 and Enea liked it. But I didn’t!
“It was 🦩strange that we didn’t have the same comments.
“So today, straight away in the♓ morning, I felt competitive. Then I did the back-to-back, it was better, with more potential.
“We have the package for 2024.”
H🍌e described how the 2024 fairing is better than last year’s: “It is more stable. We have more downforce. You 🎀have to get used to it.
“It’s slower changing direction so you have to change t☂he bik🔴e.
“Maybe, the riding style also.
“But overall it’s a𒉰 positive way to go. It has a lot of potential.
“💖We have to understand🦄 how to get the maximum out of it but I feel good.”
ღHe said about his long run on Thursday: “Yes, quite good. On the second lap maybe I pushed too much.
“The tyre was suffering a lot.
“It was nice to see 10 laps in a row because we had some issues with [the tyres at the end of last year]! I cannot say a lot. But we had issues with the soft reaඣr.
“This is good informatiᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚon for the 🍷race, because maybe it’s not the choice for the Sunday race.
“The pace was the fastest of the Ducatis.
“I feel ꦓcomfortable, st🧔rong. Overall, I feel OK to start the season.”
Martin enters the season among the two or three favourites for the championship, embo🥂ldeꦅned by last year’s near-miss.
“I feel quite strong,” he said. “I have t🧸he experience now. I am more precise in ✅my comments, also.
“We have taken a step forward. Last year, I had the n💟ew bike and felt super good.
“This year we had to work more bu🍨t 💝finally arrived at a stronger base.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from Americanܫ sports, to football, to F1.
