On November 17 in Barcelona, Jorge Martin closed a circle, ending his fourth and final season riding the Ducati of the Pramac Racing team on the top of the World Championship.
The first rider from a satellite team to win the Riders' title in the MotoGP era, the Spaniard is now ready to crown another of his dreams and join an official team, with a move to Aprilia.
This is a new chapter that the Madrid native talked about in an interview with the Spanish magazine AS, in which he reflected on what awaits him in 2025 and the World Championship he won this year.
"Very few riders make it to MotoGP, but even fewer make it to official teams, so to have finally made it will be very nice," he said, "To have 150-200 people working just for you, engineers who listen to you and want you to win, I think it will be unique. I can't wait to try it out and start feeling what it's like to be an official rider."
A role he will go on to fill by taking over from his great friend, Aleix Espargaró.
"I think I will never be able to be the 'Captain' like Aleix was, because he was there for nine years, he brought Aprilia from nothing to win races and fight for the World Championship. I can accept that responsibility, though. I feel the responsibility to be the leader of this project and I will do what I have to, or what is in my power, to succeed in taking this bike to the highest level," clarified Jorge, who would have liked to share this experience with his compatriot:
"If I had decided before to arrive in this brand, Aleix would surely have renewed for at least another year. But life is made up of situations and moments. In the end he retired before I could make a decision."
Looking ahead to next season, Martin does not seem to have any major doubts about the on-track form factor:
"In 2025 I still see a Ducati quite superior to other brands, and I would also say with a great team like Pecco and Marc. There will be many titles in that box, but who knows. MotoGP goes by eras: there was the Yamaha era, the Honda era, the Ducati era... Who knows if the next one will be another era, but right now I see Bagnaia as favorite with Marc Marquez very close. I would put myself there in the Top 3 to maybe fight with them in some races. In others I will suffer more, but the important thing is to improve and make progress."
The very two riders Martinator has managed to get the better of this year.
"I think Marquez is the best in history along with Valentino and Pecco is entering that group. With the results he is getting, for me he has already beaten Stoner, for example. And I beat Pecco, so where does that put me? I don't mean to brag.
I have my feet on the ground, I know I still have a long way to go, but it's clear that I consider myself at his level in sporting terms," admitted the 26-year-old, who would have liked to shape up on the track with these very legends.
"Obviously, I would have liked to fight for the title against the best riders: against Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, who is still on the track, or against Stoner and many of the riders I watched from home when I was a kid. But in the end it goes by moments, now there is Pecco and Marquez and it was them I had to beat," he noted, "I think in the era we are in right now the level is very high and the value of this title is very high."
He may not have had a chance to fight with Rossi, but Martin still managed to repeat his feat of grabbing the title in the premier class with a satellite team.
"I think I broke down a wall by becoming the first rider in the MotoGP era to win a World Championship with a satellite team, but I think it will be very difficult for that to happen again," admitted the Spaniard.
Speaking about the milestone achieved this year, Martin could not fail to also say a few words about the friendship and rivalry relationship between him and his great opponent Bagnaia.
The former defending champion, who cashed in on the defeat by applauding the Pramac man's success.
"The rivalry remains on the track, it's very evident - Jorge commented - Only he and I can understand this relationship, because we slept together for two years in the same room, something that doesn't even happen in Moto3 or Moto2, and then we fought for the World Championship. So I am very happy that Pecco has transited in my life, one way or another. Maybe now he is not my friend, but we have a very good relationship, he is a great person and I hope to fight a lot more with him."
