Martin: Doha GP “not my day to win” despite maiden pole
Pramac rookie Jorge Martin admits Sunday’s Doha Grand Prix is “not my day to win”, despite storming to a sensational maiden MotoGP pole on Saturday.
The Moto2 graduate set the early pace in Saturday’s pole shootout session, before stunning everyone with his final effort of 1m53.106s to claim his first MotoGP pole in only his second start.
Martin is the first rookie rider to score a pole position since Fabio Quartararo in 2019, and heads Ducati’s first qualifying 1-2 since Aragon 2018 with teammate Johann Zarco starting alongside him on Sunday.
The Spaniard admits he only expected a top five result in Doha qualifying, but remains grounded over his hopes for Sunday’s race.
Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
"I don’t know, it’s difficult to describe my feelings,” he said of his first pole. “In the first run, I was behind [Joan] Mir and I felt super confident, and I mean, I was catching him so fast, and I said, ‘OK, I need a faster bike [to follow].'
“I was hoping to be behind Pecco [Bagnaia] but he wasn’t improving at all, so I said, 'OK, it’s my time to boost, my time to demonstrate who I am.’ For sure, I didn’t expect to make pole; I was expecting to be front four, front five.
“When I finished the lap and I was up there in first position, it’s unbelievable. This is so great. Tomorrow – another day to learn because for sure it’s not my day to win.
“If we can fight for a top six that’d be great and I will be super happy.”
Zarco elected not to ride in FP3 on Saturday afternoon – as did Martin – to avoid “any confusion” with his bike heading into the evening running, and admits he was “a bit surprised” to see his teammate beat him to pole.
“I’m pretty happy, A low 1m53s was a good target to be on the first row, when I saw this 1m53.2s when I crossed the finish line I expected to be on pole,” said Zarco. “But when I understood it was the 89 on pole, my teammate, I was a bit surprised.
“I’m happy anyway because it’s all going too perfect for Pramac team, first and second and it’s just happiness to take. It has been great. I didn’t ride in FP3 not to make any confusion. The wind was pretty strong, plus it was sand in the air, so it was better to wait and do a nice FP4.
“But with this wind we’re able to have a good speed, but maybe the pace is pretty hard to keep high. I think [Maverick] Vinales has better pace than us at the moment.”
Related video
Previous article
Rossi explains worst-ever MotoGP qualifying result
Next article
Quartararo explains Miller's Doha "scary" near-miss
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Event | Doha GP |
| Drivers | Jorge Martin |
| Author | Lewis Duncan |
MotoGP 2021 kicks off in Qatar
Mandalika Circuit update
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Qatar Grand Prix
Top 10 most successful Repsol Honda Team riders
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?
Why Lorenzo needs to ditch social media and enjoy retirement
OPINION: Jorge Lorenzo's status as one of the greatest MotoGP riders of all time is hard to dispute. But his constant social media spats with fellow riders and insistence on listing his achievements to his detractors are running the risk of tarnishing a legacy he worked hard to create.
Can leaving a factory team end Rossi’s MotoGP win drought?
It is over three-and-a-half years since the Italian national anthem rang out to declare a Valentino Rossi victory in MotoGP. To some onlookers his move out of the factory Yamaha squad meant the 2017 Dutch TT could remain his final win, but after an encouraging transition at Petronas SRT hope is far from lost
