Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
Jorge Martín's mindset: The key to his MotoGP™ victory
Jorge Martín kept his cool under pressure to claim his first MotoGP™ world title in a dramatic showdown – fuelled by a key transformation from last year.
After narrowly missing out on winning MotoGP™ world title last year, Pramac Ducati rider Jorge Martín changed his performance preparation tactics for the 2024 season and put in extra work to strengthen his mental skills.
The 26-year-old Madrid native, who got his break when he was selected to join the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup in 2012, won both the Rookies Cup in 2014 and the 2018 Moto3™ World Championship before stepping up to chase the premier class MotoGP™ crown from the 2021 season onward.
A race winner from his very first MotoGP™ season, Martín's title aspirations during his first two campaigns were hindered by injuries, but in 2023 he truly caught fire.
Thanks to four race wins, three more podiums and several top 10 finishes, Martín battled defending and eventual world champion Francesco Bagnaia all the way until the final race of the series in Valencia to finish the year in second overall, leaving him determined to succeed in 2024.
Stung by a costly late-season DNF in Indonesia just one day after assuming the lead of the Riders' Standings, Martín regrouped during the off-season and came into the 2024 season firing on all cylinders.
After coming close in 2023, Martín delivered his first premier class title
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
He scored two wins in the opening five Grands Prix to establish his title credentials and no less than 15 podium visits during the season saw him leave the penultimate Malaysian GP holding a 24-point lead over Bagnaia and facing another final round showdown to decide the 2024 MotoGP™ World Championship.
At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Spanish Prima Pramac rider secured his first MotoGP™ world title with a third-place finish at the season finale.
Red Bull spoke to the new MotoGP™ world champion ahead of the final race on Sunday.
Describe to us how you felt after missing out on the championship last year and what conclusion did you come to after reviewing the season?
Did you prepare for the 2024 season any differently after coming so close?
I prepared myself by thinking about everything that happened during the season, both the good and the bad. I trained a lot more and focused on everything I'd failed to do during 2023.
Martín has been at the front of the pack all season long
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
What have you changed in your mental approach during 2024? You seem more in control in all situations.
I've worked on different aspects than last season and some of them have been about personal control, managing emotions and knowing how to enjoy the moment at hand. My personal team is also much more united and I've been able to surround myself with people who help me on a daily basis and know how to manage my environment so that I'm as comfortable as possible.
Have there been any changes in how you train or prepare psychically?
The types of training have remained more or less the same, but what I have changed is the duration and the technique. Cycling takes up most of my time, combined with strength training and some bike riding. I have also been able to manage my diet much better this year.
You and Francesco Bagnaia were once roommates in Moto3. Do you take the rivalry personally and what emotion did you bring to the title fight this year?
The rivalry is the same with any rider. In the end, we all have the same thing at stake and what you want is to beat the rider next to you, in front or behind. It doesn't matter who it is, but winning does. I have a good relationship with Pecco, we've known each other for years and he's a great professional as well as a great rider. But it doesn't make any difference to me whether it's him or someone else who's racing for the title against me, I would do the same with anybody.
What are the three main factors that led to your success in MotoGP™ and what role does the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup play in it?
Perseverance, confidence and effort: these are three aspects that the Red Bull Rookies Cup gives you right from the start, because the level there is very high and you always must be focused to win.
Martín soaks up the adulation of the fans as he celebrates his win
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
When it gets super tough, what do you tell yourself to keep going?
I look back and see what I've achieved and who I've become. I look around me and see the team of people I have, both personally and professionally. And then I say to myself, 'You have to take this forward'.
Want to see the future stars of MotoGP™ before they become household names? Watch the six-episode series Born Racers, which follows motorcycling's young talents as they try to prove their worth in the Red Bull MotoGP™ Rookies Cup series.
