Martin stormed pole at the Styrian GP last weekend with a lap record at the Red Bull Ring before taking his first MotoGP victory.
Although he had to complete the first part of qualifying for the Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday, Martin broke the lap record again and took the third pole of his rookie season.
After crashing in FP3 and then again in FP4, Martin admits that he was “quite nervous” about leaving Q1 and credits a dragging of Pramac teammate Johann Zarco in Q2 that he made it to 1 : Helped 22.643 minutes that put him on pole.
“Yes, unfortunately today was a really difficult day for me because as soon as I started the day, I felt really bad with the bike with the same attitude as last week,” said Martin.
“I don’t know why, but I couldn’t brake, the bike wobbled, and I didn’t feel any grip when accelerating.
“So I tried a little too much in FP3 and then I had this crash in the last corner.
“So I lacked a little bit of confidence in the FP4, but we made a few changes to the front and rear of the bike.
“And I felt safe with used tires, my pace was strong all day.
“I can sure see other riders who are pretty competitive for tomorrow, but we did a good job, the team did a great job fixing the bikes after two crashes.
“And for qualifying I was a bit nervous in Q1 because you always run the risk of not making it into Q2.
“But I did a great job, the conditions were really different than in the morning, but I felt really good.
“And in Q2, thanks to my team-mate, I was able to improve this tow rope and break the lap record.
“It’s unbelievable, I’m living a dream and I hope that I can fight for the podium tomorrow.”
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Although he showed a strong race pace in FP4, Martin says that he is not thinking of repeating his Styrian victory, but admits that he has “a little pressure” after last week.
“I don’t think about winning, I may feel some pressure because everyone is talking about it,” he added.
“But I mean, I’m a beginner, I have to learn. For me, it’s fantastic if I’m in the top 5 tomorrow because I have to learn.
“These guys have a lot of experience and understand better than me how to lead the race.
“But yeah, today I certainly didn’t think I’d make pole.
“Well, I don’t want to be too optimistic tomorrow, but I’m one of the strongest for tomorrow.
“I think there are four or five guys who can fight for victory tomorrow so we’ll enjoy a good fight.”
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
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