Jorge Martín and Pecco Bagnaia know each other very well, so much so that it seems impossible that they can separate themselves in their fight for the MotoGP title. The feeling of déjà vu is inevitable for those who were bunkmates at Aspar, as teenagers in Moto3. They dreamed of being among the best, where they are now, although they never imagined that the great battle would be fought between the two. In 2023, the second half of the championship became a very tight duel between the two. No one else. The Italian was not able to defend his crown until the last round, and since then they have exchanged blows, physical and moral, every weekend.
At the Austrian GP, a setting that will be favourable for both, the Ducati leaders begin the second half of the season separated by three points. Martín leads the table at a circuit where last year he saw the possibility of winning the title as a very distant one. He arrived with a 41-point disadvantage and saw Bagnaia take full advantage on the Spielberg track and escape to a world-class 62. “It’s still very open,” said the Spaniard, third on Friday in a practice dominated by the Italian. He does not rule out, by any means, the other two pursuers in the table, Enea Bastianini and Marc Márquez — 49 and 62 points behind the leader.
“What I try to do is give my 100%, whether it’s a podium or fifth place. I don’t focus on the World Championship, which is a long way off. If you think about it too much, you can lose points. You have to analyse each situation, and if you have a chance of winning, go for it. Otherwise, it’s about staying calm,” he commented on his plan of action in this kind of restart of the competition. Here, in 2021, during his debut season in the premier class, he achieved his first victory. “Leading the World Championship now is not too important, this is like starting from scratch once again. There are ten races left and there is only a three-point difference,” says the reigning champion, who also does not trust the low profile of the other two candidates.
There are other notable differences compared to last year. Martín already knows what it is like to compete for a title until the last corner, and that baggage will now weigh less. The 26-year-old from Madrid has insisted this year on his psychological preparation, working hard on confidence and self-esteem, as well as learning to disconnect from the media noise. “I am a better rider now, and that is why I am better positioned,” he said in Spielberg. There is another burden that has been lifted off his shoulders: his future has been resolved for months, since before the summer break, and although Aprilia was not his number one option, he has been able to stop thinking about it. In the past, his eagerness to wear the red of the official Ducati took its toll.
Bagnaia, always undaunted, has set himself the challenge of improving on Saturday during the sprints. Since the event in Austria last year, Martín has won 11 of the 20 short races contested, standing on the podium 16 times. The Italian, on the other hand, has only managed two wins and eight podiums in the format since then, coming out strong on Sundays. “The important thing now is to try to improve in the sprints, which is where Jorge is making the difference. We have to try to be more precise, perfect all the time,” says the number one.
This Saturday, during qualifying, the chances of a Marquez who is no longer anxious about returning to victory will also become clearer. He has been unable to win for more than 1,000 days, by far the worst streak of his career. The 93 has always been at the top at the Red Bull Ring, although he has never been able to win and in the past he saw how the bike he now rides between his legs snatched victory from him on three occasions in the last corner of the Grand Prix. This Friday the Catalan finished fourth, more than three tenths off Bagnaia’s record time.
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