The irony and vindication behind a rookie’s maiden MotoGP victory

In an edition of Autosport’s Tank Slappers podcast at the start of the season, this writer predicted one of the MotoGP rookies to win a race. That reality came to pass in Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix as Jorge Martin achieved his maiden victory.

The 23-year-old offered a glimpse at what was possible in April’s Doha GP, when he qualified on pole and led for much the race before eventually finishing third. His momentum was cruelly stopped next time out in Portugal when he crashed heavily in practice and broke his wrist, forcing him out of the next four races.

Working intensively over the five-week summer break to get himself back to full fitness after his physical condition forced him to retire at Assen, the Pramac Ducati rider took pole at the Red Bull Ring with the first ever sub-1m23s lap (his 1m22.994s was subsequently beaten by Fabio Quartararo, only for the Yamaha rider's pole lap to be cancelled for exceeding track limits).

Ducati has won every race bar one since the Red Bull Ring returned to the calendar, its only defeat coming in the 2020 Styrian GP when Tech3 KTM’s Miguel Oliveira snatched victory. Thus, winning is a minimum requirement for a factory Ducati rider when MotoGP comes to the Styrian mountains. And though victory wasn’t on his mind much at the start of the year, even Martin – a veteran of just five MotoGP race starts up to that point – knew the significance of the Austria double-header.

“I didn’t think too much about this,” Martin said on Sunday. “I just wanted to improve every race and actually we are doing it. The start in Qatar was great and for sure there was the possibility for the win, but I wasn’t confident enough or maybe strong enough to do it.

“And after the crash in Portimao, all my focus was on this race – not just this one, but next week because I know it was a strong race for Ducati and was our best track of the year. So, I knew here was the place to do it and I was fully focused on my target. Before the race I didn’t expect to do this, but finally I can do it.”

Martin shone in Doha GP but ended up third

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Martin is part of Ducati’s new strategy of youth for 2021. Three-time Austria race-winner Andrea Dovizioso and Danilo Petrucci were ousted from its line-up at the end of last year, with Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia promoted from Pramac to the factory squad in their place. Rookie Martin was installed alongside Johann Zarco at Pramac, while Luca Marini and Enea Bastianini were placed at Avintia.

That Martin was the one to carry on Ducati’s victory success from Dovizioso - who had won the 2020 Austrian GP before Miller and Pol Espargaro's all-out scrap opened the door for Oliveira one week later - further vindicated the Italian marque’s decision. Yet Martin looked anything but a rookie during the Styrian GP.

Red-flagged after two laps when KTM wildcard Dani Pedrosa crashed and Aprilia’s Lorenzo Savadori struck his bike at Turn 3, creating a large fire across the track, Martin was sitting second behind Bagnaia.

As tyre troubles sent Bagnaia tumbling down the order at the restart, Martin was still on top form. However, the stoppage proved fortuitous, as Martin had “a lot of moments with the front tyre” on the first start and “almost crashed” at one point chasing Bagnaia. Able to change to fresh tyres, his problems were eradicated while a number of riders weren’t so lucky.

"To get faster in this level it’s always really difficult. But I think what he will do is he will be stronger in every race" Joan Mir

Trailing Miller for the first three laps, Martin made his decisive move for the lead through the fast kink at Turn 2 on the fourth lap, while Suzuki’s Joan Mir quickly demoted Miller to third. Both Martin and Mir – boosted by Suzuki’s new ride height device – quickly pulled a gap as the pair set virtually identical lap times. From lap four, when Martin took the lead and Mir moved into second, to lap 21, the average lap time difference between them was just 0.028s in Martin’s favour.

Just like in Qatar, the Pramac rider demonstrated he could handle the pressure of leading. And it offered a future vision to Mir.

“I think that Jorge’s talent is really high, we all know,” the Suzuki rider said. “I don’t think that he will be faster in the future. I think that he will be more constant. When you able to do a pole position, you know that there’s not much [more] to do. Always if you can improve one tenth or whatever you can do it, but to get faster in this level it’s always really difficult. But I think what he will do is he will be stronger in every race.”

Martin was unflappable under pressure from Mir on his way to recording maiden MotoGP win

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The key moment of the race came on lap 22 when Martin fired in a 1m24.556s while Mir lapped at 1m24.987s. The Suzuki rider started to lose grip from his rear medium slick and Martin – whose tyre management, according to Quartararo, was “strange for a rookie” – quickly pulled out a lead of over a second when Mir ran wide into Turn 3. Mir’s charge was over at this point, settling for a crucial 20 points that could prove useful as he bids to kickstart his title defence.

“As soon as I could, I took the lead, trying to put my pace because I knew today was a race just to be constant all the race, and I was able to keep this 1m24.3s, 1m24.2s the whole race,” said Martin, who added that his battle with Mir was more “mental” than on-track.

“Joan was super strong today, but when I saw this little gap of two tenths on the board, I just tried to put a little bit more in the track. Making this gap was perfect for me and necessary also, because the last laps my physical condition wasn’t great. But, really happy for my team and also for Ducati because here it’s so important to win for them. I wasn’t expecting to be the rider to win, but finally I did it.”

Pramac has been racing in the premier class since 2002 and has come close to victories several times before. But in 2021 it had the perfect storm to finally break that duck and, with Martin on a Ducati he feels is “the right place for my riding style” that also boasts full factory support (Ducati effectively sees Pramac as a works team with a different sponsor), there’s no reason to believe the Styrian GP will be a one-off.

Crucially, Martin is a rider brimming with talent, but with none of the hubris which often accompanies the gifted – his feet remain firmly on the ground.

“For sure when you are fighting for a pole position, you know you are on the limit because we are in MotoGP, a really top level and if you are close to the pole or maybe making pole position you know that there’s not too much to make,” he said. “I will work hard, try to improve but it’s not easy.

“Today I couldn’t make it better. I think I have a good potential, the bike has a good potential. But I’m not thinking about my limit, I just want to make good results for me and the team. That’s it, just focus on the next race.”

Martin says he's not thinking yet about what he can go on to do in the future

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Within Ducati, the performances of Pramac riders once again pile pressure onto the factory team riders. Though Bagnaia’s issues in the Styria race were not of his own making, a second-successive crash for Miller could not be defended. Chasing down Quartararo for third late on, the Australian slid out at Turn 7 and is now 71 points adrift of the lead in the championship standings. Whatever way you cut it, this simply isn’t good enough for a factory team Ducati rider – especially not in Austria.

While Martin’s victory again vindicated Ducati’s belief in him, it is also shrouded in irony. Red Bull Ring is home soil for KTM, who had Martin under contract last year when he was a frontrunner in Moto2 but couldn’t accommodate him in MotoGP. At the first opportunity, Ducati didn’t hesitate to secure his signature.

While Martin won on KTM turf surrounded by a factory and team which adores him, and that he in turn loves, the Fernandez situation suggests Martin slipping through KTM’s fingers is the best thing to happen to him

Martin’s victory came on the backdrop of unease in the KTM camp surrounding its newest star Raul Fernandez. The Moto2 rookie will step up to MotoGP with Tech3 next season on a two-year deal, but is extremely unhappy at the prospect.

Fernandez wanted to join Petronas SRT as he felt the Yamaha would be better suited to him, while a big-money offer from Aprilia was turned down. KTM contracts are held together by numerous clauses to ensure it can hold onto its talents. Fernandez’s, for example, had a half a million-euro buyout clause.

While Martin won on KTM turf surrounded by a factory and team which adores him, and that he in turn loves, the Fernandez situation suggests Martin slipping through KTM’s fingers is the best thing to happen to him…

Martin easily could have spent 2021 as a KTM rider, but now is flourishing at Pramac

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images