Jorge Martin more than overturned his three-place grid penalty when a lightning start at the Spanish MotoGP set up a tenth to fourth charge in the opening corners.
That became third after Marc Marquez crashed, prompting Martin to ponder a possible victory chance.
However, the 2024 MotoGP champion’s challenge began to fade when rear grip issues emerged, allowing Fabio di Giannantonio to pass him for the final podium place.
“I made a super start and was already fourth after a few corners,” Martin said.
“I was really happy and thought at that point ‘maybe you can win this race’.
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“But afterwards the feeling with the rear tyre was the worst of the weekend and I couldn’t match the pace of the podium guys.”
The problem was not only evident under acceleration, but also in braking.
“I was sliding too much and I couldn’t go any faster. I was stuck there, just controlling a bit Johann Zarco and Raul Fernandez behind.”
With team-mate Marco Bezzecchi finishing second to Alex Marquez, Martin now trails the championship leader by 11 points.
Martin is targeting improvements in rear grip during Monday’s Jerez test, where he plans to evaluate parts not yet in use on his RS-GP.
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“I’m really happy that tomorrow we have a test,” he said.
“There are a few parts that I’m not using still on the bike that maybe for sure they will help me because the other riders are using them. So, I think I can make another step.
“I just need time to adjust to them and we can make a back-to-back about the set-up also because maybe I need to put a bit more weight on the rear.”
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