Jorge Martín finished second in the Sprint race of the MotoGP Austrian GP. Marc Márquez’s retirement with five laps to go allowed Martín to secure this position after he had been penalized with a Long Lap penalty for exceeding track limits without sufficiently giving back the time while battling for first place with Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati).
The Spaniard said to the press: ‘As you saw on television, we were battling for the first position and maybe I was too optimistic going to that corner and I went wide. Afterwards I let him pass, I tried to lose a bit of time – for sure not a second, but I think I lost time, because I was first and then I was second. And then I got a penalty. It is what it is, the regulations are like this. I did my maximum with this Long Lap’.
Although Martín agrees that the penalty was fair, he believes the rule should be reviewed: ‘For sure the regulations are like this, but I thought: «Okay, I lost time, I was first, now I’m second». Not because I went wide; I was second because I let him go. It’s fair because it’s on regulations, but I think they need to review this rule, because if you lose time and let another ride pass in a race you lose the show and a nice battle between two top guys. It is what it is and I tried my best from that situation’.
When he served the Long Lap penalty, Martín took some risks, but when asked if he thought he could catch up to Márquez (Gresini/Ducati), he denied it: ‘No, I don’t think so. When I exited from the Long Lap, I knew that third position was the maximum. I just waited one more lap to try to make the gap to Aleix [Espargaró] because I saw he was around, so I said: «I wait one more, so when I exit, I’m in front of him». It was more about the strategy over there. The Long Lap was a bit risky, I entered with one wheel, a bit on the limit. But I knew third position was the maximum after the Long Lap; before the Long Lap I think I could have battled for the victory’.