Jorge Martin is on the verge of securing his maiden MotoGP title at the 2024 season finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The Spaniard leads his fellow Ducati stable rider Francesco Bagnaia by 24 points, leaving the Pramac pilot in a good position to secure the championship on home soil.
In what is his fourth season in the sport, Martin will be eager to get one over his rival this weekend as he lost out on the title to Bagnaia last season by 39 points.
The 26-year-old will also be looking to take the number one away from Ducati, as Martin makes the move to Aprilla for the 2025 MotoGP season.
Barcelona is Jorge Martin’s ‘defining weekend’ as he’s never won the title before
In FP1 in Barcelona, Martin came fifth in the timing sheets with Bagnaia a tenth slower in seventh. Japanese rider Takaaki Nakagami set the fastest time for Honda, going also a second quicker than the championship leader.
As Martin edges closer to his maiden title, Sylvain Guintoli believes Barcelona is his ‘defining weekend’ as a competitor as he faces the pressure of keeping himself on the track and ahead of his rival.
Guintoli told TNT Sports 2 (15/11, 10:02): “For Jorge Martin, this is very much a defining weekend because he’s never been under so much pressure and he’s never done it before. So, we don’t know how he’s going to react.
“You can act as relaxed as you want. But once you start, when you’re on track, when you’re riding, when you’re applying that front brake and you’re trying to feel what’s going on with your front tyre, everything changes.
“If you start doubting in MotoGP, you get destroyed. It’s so competitive. On another hand, he can’t just take it easy. So, it’s going to be a tough weekend on that track where it’s so easy to make a mistake.”
How does Jorge Martin’s season compare to Francesco Bagnaia’s?
Ducati have utterly dominated the 2024 season, with their bikes having won all but one race so far this season. Maverick Vinales’ win for Aprilla at the Circuit of the Americas has stopped the Italian manufacturer from claiming every victory before the season finale.
Of those 18 Ducati wins, Bagnaia has won 10 of them, as well as winning three Sprint Races. However, the Italian has been let down by his three retirements at Portimao, Aragon and Misano.
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Martin’s better consistency has given him the advantage this season. While he has only won three races so far, he has only been off the podium four times, suffering two retirements.
The Spaniard has a good margin against Bagnaia and is in a position to hold him off. But with the pressure of not winning a title before and with the Italian’s winning record this season, it will be far from easy for Martin to become MotoGP champion.