Martin: ‘It was complicated, difficult to maintain the calm’

Martin, like in the sprint, made a brilliant start as he charged away from pole to lead the opening lap.

But as the rain picked up Martin quickly lost the lead to Aleix Espargaro before making a mistake at turn three which resulted in him losing several positions.

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But Martin was the quickest rider on circuit from that point on as he reeled the leaders back in before overtaking Espargaro on lap eight.

Discussing the conditions, Martin told TNT sports: “It was complicated, difficult to maintain the calm. But it was the same for everybody. 

“It was risky, the first lap, because we were on the slicks. I was in first position and, normally, this is the first to crash. 

“At that point, at Turn 11, I led Miller then Pecco overtook me. I could see what they were doing. 

“I changed my bike, it was a good change, I was the first of the wet guys. I almost crashed at corner 3, then again at 6 or 7, but I was able to recover the positions and keep pushing. 

“My first victory in the wet, I’m super happy, I’m competitive in all conditions. I used to be quite competitive in wet conditions then I struggled in MotoGP. 

“I'm happy that I’ve finally found a feeling with the bike that allows me to be competitive in all conditions.

The double victory at Motegi means Martin is just three points behind Bagnaia, who finished second.

"I have a lot of confidence,” added Martin. “For the rest of the season there is not a track where I struggle. 

“Let’s go for a good result, to be consistent, and let’s see what they bring.”