Martin: “It’s a big relief to win, can’t wait to watch the race”
Martin appeared completely lost during Friday practice, showing the type of frustration we’ve not seen all season.
But the Pramac Ducati rider bounced back in fantastic fashion as he overtook title rival Francesco Bagnaia on two occasions.
- Marini: “After four laps the rear tyre was finished, worried about tomorrow"
- Miguel Oliveira, Aleix Espargaro suffer fractures in Qatar Sprint
That was before quick moves on Alex Marquez and Luca Marini before going to win ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Martin told MotoGP.com: “I’m super pleased. It’s a big relief to win after such a difficult day yesterday.
“This morning I felt like something was still wrong but then we found something and the right tyres which we normally make a big mistake with.
“So this was good and the team did an amazing job. We used our experience with the temperatures to be fast and I was actually really confident going into the race that I could win it.
“When I made this small mistake at turn four I struggled to keep calm but I saw that I was faster than them and tried to just put my pace on the track.”
One of the reasons for Martin’s struggles on Friday was the lack of grip he was facing, however, the Spaniard knew that track conditions had a role to play in that.
“It was a big combination of things,” stated Martin. “The bike wasn’t working well but when the track is so dirty you cannot make any mistakes.
“In another track you can ride and maybe you are two or three tenths slower, but when you are on these tracks with a small line I was losing a lot of laps.
“I was really frustrated but I knew something wasn’t okay. Today went well and we could see my potential.”
Martin’s win means he’s just seven points off Bagnaia in the championship with three races to go.
Excited to re-watch his latest victory, Martin said: “I can’t wait to watch the race [back]. I had a lot of doubt about the start going into the race because I didn’t make a good start in the practices; I was spinning and thinking I would be 20th on the first lap if I did the same. But I was able to do a great start.”
