Jorge Martín was among the fastest on the first day of practice for the Portuguese MotoGP Grand Prix. In the afternoon session, the only one counting for direct access to the second qualifying phase, he finished fourth, 0.231s behind the leader Enea Bastianini (Ducati).
The Prima Pramac Spaniard stated: ‘I think the balance is positive, because with the medium tyre I think I was one of the fastest in terms of pace. I tried all the different tyres, so it was a good day’.
That said, there’s one aspect Martín knows he needs to improve to be in the crucial top three in qualifying: ‘The only thing is that I was expecting much more from the soft [tyre] – when I changed from the medium to the soft I thought I was going to have a better performance and I didn’t, with both first and second rear soft. So I think we are missing something there, but I’m not so far, it’s just two tenths. But I think we have to be a bit more competitive, so I’ll try to understand well. Because here is so, so important – not only because the track is difficult to overtake, but also because is dirty, so there is only one line. It’s important to be in the first row’.
Unlike what happened in testing and the Qatar GP, the 2023 vice-champion is no longer having issues with vibrations. However, there are still aspects he needs to work on: ‘I still miss a little bit with this new bike to enter into the corners fast. Also the changes of direction are a bit thougher with the new bike. I’m working on it, I think I’m strong on braking, but I’m still missing entering into the corners with a fast corner speed. I think we need to find our base like last season, because I think as soon as I have it, I will be faster straightaway’.