Jorge Martin opens up on anxiety struggles during MotoGP career
“Those nerves, that discomfort, I’ve had all my life”
MotoGP championship leader Jorge Martin has spoken about the pressure he feels during a race weekend and the anxiety he has struggled with since childhood.
The Spaniard has enjoyed a hugely successful career in grand prix racing, which includes a Moto3 title in 2018 and multiple MotoGP victories.
Martin stepped up to the premier class in 2021 with Pramac Ducati and brushed off a serious accident during practice for the Portuguese GP - which forced him out of four rounds - to score a maiden win in Austria that year.
Last year, Martin fought for the world title and was runner-up, while he leads the standings by 10 points in 2024 with four rounds to go in what has been an incredibly consistent campaign.
Martin has won three grands prix and scored nine other Sunday podiums, as well as five sprint victories.
But he has also suffered four non-scores and threw away a podium opportunity at the San Marino GP due to a strategy error in flag-to-flag conditions.
In an interview with Marca, Martin opened up on the pressure he has felt on race weekends.
“It's complicated, I try to focus a lot on my feelings on the bike,” he said.
“When you are off the bike, there is a lot of noise, a lot of thoughts, a lot of headaches, but the moment you get on the track, this pressure disappears.
“That's the important thing. If that pressure got a hold of me, or those thoughts got a hold of me, I would get stuck and I wouldn't be able to ride the bike.
“I leave the circuit and it stays here.
“As soon as I finished the race I was much more relaxed. That pressure will come back on Saturday or Sunday in Australia.
“Those nerves, that discomfort, that I've had all my life, since I was little, is something normal and will be all my life.
“It's about knowing how to live with it, that it doesn't take over me.”
Martin revealed ahead of last weekend’s Japanese GP - in which he finished second to title rival Francesco Bagnaia - that he did not enjoy fighting for the championship in 2023 owing to the pressure.
However, this year he is much happier in this situation and feels like he has grown as a rider fighting for a title.
