Jorge Martin says he found it “impossible to beat” Marc Marquez for victory at the Japanese Grand Prix even on what he felt was “one of my good days” in MotoGP.
Martin put a strong challenge against the reigning world champion on Sunday after Aprilia delivered a vastly improved bike at Motegi compared to last year, with the 28-year-old leading from the front after claiming pole position.
But despite making no major mistakes under pressure, Martin couldn’t hold off the Ducati for long, with Marquez passing him just before the halfway point at Turn 9.
Despite trying his best to follow Marquez after losing the lead, the 2024 champion gradually dropped back, eventually finishing 1.363s behind in second.
For Marquez, Motegi marked his sixth grand prix win in nine weekends, as well as his fifth double success, putting him within just two points of championship leader Martin.
The factory Aprilia rider saw his title rival’s Sunday performance as an ominous sign, admitting there was nothing more he could have done to beat him in Japan.
“During the whole weekend, he had something else than me,” the Spaniard told TNT Sport.
“With Marc, you cannot make any mistake either on riding or with the management of the race, so he was stronger.
“I did my best, I tried to push till the end. The pace was unbelievably fast, but yeah even on one of my good days, it was impossible to beat him.
“I’m happy about my performance. The result is not what I wanted but we move forward.”
Jorge Martin, Aprilia Racing Team, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Martin revealed that he had to manage his pace through a certain phase of the race to keep his fuel consumption in check, allowing Marquez to overtake him for the lead.
“On Saturday, we made a bigger step. Today, we made another step,” he said.
“I was able to be quite constant in the front. I had some issues with my fuel consumption, so I had to manage a bit, and at that point, he took the advantage,” he explained.
“I did my best. Even though I tried to push till the end, tried to maybe force him for an error and maybe close that gap, it was really, really difficult.”
Martin took consolation from the fact that Aprilia was competitive at a track where it had scored a Sunday podium, but warned that it would be “difficult to beat him” in the remaining rounds of the season.
“I think on a track where Aprilia used to struggle, finally, we got the first podium, the [lap] record, so I feel prepared for what’s coming,” he said in the post-race press conference.
“Let’s see what happens in the next races. I feel it will be really difficult to beat him, but I feel it’s a privilege to be fighting with Marc at this stage of the championship.”
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