Jorge Martin reveals his “obsession” and early Aprilia target

Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin says his “obsession” for his first season with Aprilia is “to be my best version” rather than focus purely on results.

Martin brings the #1 plate with him to Aprilia after winning the championship for Ducati, who last year made a U-turn on its plans to promote him to its factory team.

The world champion has one day of running on the RS-GP under his belt last November at Barcelona, and will continue his adaptation to the bike this week at the Sepang pre-season test.

As world champion and a factory team rider for the first time, expectations are high on Martin for the season ahead - though he doesn’t see it this way.

“I don’t feel pressure at the moment,” he said.

“I mean, the pressure that we want is to make good results. But I think I will keep my mentality from last season.

“I wasn’t focused on winning. I was focused on being better every day, being my best version.

“This is my obsession, to be my best version and when it comes, it comes."

Jorge Martin feels responsibility at Aprilia

“I am trying to put these thoughts on the people, because when I arrived all the people were like ‘we have to win, we have to win’," he said.

“But we don’t have to win. We have to do our best and then we will see our potential. The potential is high, but we will see where we are.”

He added: “I think that the pressure I went through last season won’t be as much any time in my life.

“I don’t feel pressure, I feel responsibility. It’s responsibility, not pressure.

“The pressure you have when you are fighting for a championship, you have the pressure at its highest - and what I’ve been through in the last years, and last year, was crazy.

“So, now I feel really relaxed, really like I want to perform.

“I took off a big weight from my back and now I’m just focused on doing my best, and for sure having the responsibility of having the whole factory behind us.”

Martin says building up the “family” relationship he had at Pramac is taking some time at Aprilia given how new he is to the project, but feels he already has a stronger relationship with management then he did at Ducati.

“I feel we are for sure still not the family like Pramac,” he said.

“It’s quite difficult to arrive after four years together with the same team, same organisation.

“But I bring some people from Pramac. I knew some people from Aprilia from Aleix [Espargaro], so I feel like the group is getting really good together.

“It’s also a big family, with the bosses I feel I have a relationship with them where before I didn’t with any of them.

“So, now I feel I am really on the project and I can help a lot. I feel a lot that when you enter into the box you breathe good air. So, this is really, really good.” 

Quotes provided by Crash MotoGP Editor Peter McLaren