Bagnaia senses Martin nerves as MotoGP title battle goes to the wire

Martin’s position reminds Bagnaia of his own scrap with Quartararo for the 2022 title

Francesco Bagnaia believes he can tell MotoGP title rival Jorge Martin has been “nervous” in the final round, but insisted it is normal for a rider on the cusp of winning the title.

While factory Ducati rider Bagnaia has shown impressive pace so far in Barcelona to take pole position in qualifying and victory in the sprint race, Martin has been a step behind.

The Pramac rider could qualify only fourth for the season finale and Saturday’s sprint marked the first time he finished inside the top three in any session all weekend, as he finished third behind Bagnaia and the Italian's team-mate, Enea Bastianini.

Bagnaia has now closed within 19 points of Martin in the standings, but with only 25 points available on Sunday, the Spaniard can clinch his first title as long as he finishes inside the top nine.

Two-time champion Bagnaia explained that Martin’s situation reminded him of the nerves he faced during his first title-winning year in 2022, when he arrived into the final round with a 23-point buffer over Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.

“I remember perfectly [the] 2022 [season] and I think Jorge is suffering a bit [of] pressure but it's normal.

“I saw all the weekend he was quite nervous and this is something normal.

“I think when it is racing, he can manage the situation well. He did a very good job today, he managed to start in the second row, he managed to finish on the podium, so I don't think it will be that tricky.

“I expect a race like today [on Sunday with] Jorge cruising without taking risks. He will have a lot of margin because if I win he can finish ninth, so this is quite a difficult situation, similar to mine in 2022.”

TV cameras caught Martin looking visibly agitated during practice on Friday after returning to the pits, although he later explained that he was frustrated when his crew chief wasn’t immediately available when he stopped by the Pramac garage.

Martin was also seen shaking his head after being overtaken by Bastianini on the final lap in the sprint race, a move that dropped him from second to third and cost him two points in the championship fight.

However, a podium was still a crucial result for the Spaniard and puts him in a strong position to end his stint with Ducati with his maiden title.

Asked how he managed his nerves on Saturday, he said: “I was quite nervous after qualifying when I was eating, I almost didn't eat anything today.

“I was quite nervous at that point but I tried to ‘live’ a little bit, have cold water, a cold shower.

“For the race I was quite calm, I was in a good moment. The plan is to do the same things as always, so I will try to do the same tomorrow. I will try to be at my 100%, and if at the end I can manage I will manage, and if not I will push, [it] depends upon the situation.”

Martin had grabbed second place from Bastianini on lap five of 12 and was able to briefly inch away from him, only for the latter to close the gap back up again in the final stages of the race.

Bastianini, who is indulged in his battle with Gresini’s Marc Marquez for third in the championship, then pulled off an impressive last-lap move over Martin at Turn 5 to grab second position.

Bagnaia revealed he was making calculations in his mind while circulating a second clear of the two in the Barcelona sprint.

"Honestly, the last three laps I was studying the combinations,” he said.

“I wanted to gain as many points as possible and still have 19 points to recover instead of 21, two points that make a difference.

“I was hoping above all that Enea would make it, because I could see on the big screens that he was close. Besides, he passed him at turn 5, so he was very good".