Marc Marquez told Carlos Sainz where Jorge Martin was faster than him during 2024 MotoGP season

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Jorge Martin won the MotoGP world championship on home soil at the Solidarity Grand Prix last November. Martin edged out Francesco Bagnaia to put Spain back on top in the premier class.

12 of the last 13 MotoGP champions have been either Spanish or Italian. Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, who took the title for Yamaha in 2021, is the only exception.

Between 2012, when Jorge Lorenzo triumphed, and Joan Mir’s 2020 success, the trophy remained in Spain. Quartararo ended that run before Bagnaia took back-to-back titles.

Martin is moving to Aprilia for 2025, and based on their third-place finish last season, he’s unlikely to defend his title. But the Spain vs Italy theme is set to continue after the great Marc Marquez joined Bagnaia at the Ducati factory squad.

Last season, Marquez wasn’t in a position to sustain a title challenge. He rode a Ducati bike at Gresini, but it was a year behind the top two in spec.

Marc Marquez reveals Jorge Martin slow corner advantage in Carlos Sainz conversation

A clip from ‘There Can Be Only One‘, MotoGP’s official documentary on the 2024 season, shows a conversation between Carlos Sainz and the Marquez brothers at last year’s Grand Prix of Spain. The Formula 1 driver attended the race along with his father during a gap in the four-wheel season.

Sainz quizzed his compatriot on the differences between the GP23 and GP24. And he also wanted to know where Martin and Bagnaia had the advantage based on the data.

Marquez said that Bagnaia came alive in high-speed corners, a strength he’ll have to be aware of at Ducati this year – though he’ll now enjoy equal machinery. Martin, on the other hand, gained time in the slower turns.

“In terms of speed, they are a bit faster, but not that much,” Marquez said. “It’s normal. From one year to the next, the bikes are faster. But the GP23 has good things to do.”

“Where are Martin and Bagnaia stronger than you?” Sainz asked. “Through the fast ones, through the slow ones?”

“Bagnaia is fast in the fast ones, and Martin is fast in the slow ones,” Marquez replied.

Jorge Martin’s first MotoGP test for Aprilia was unforgettable for one reason

Perhaps Marquez’s main strength relative to his rivals is left turns. That could be particularly valuable on anti-clockwise circuits.

Ducati test rider Michele Pirro is stunned by Marquez’s data, noting the ‘incredible’ speed he can take into the apex in left-handers. Naturally, all of the elite riders in the premier class – particularly those in the same stable – will be studying one another closely to see which techniques can be copied.

Martin lost out to Marquez because of his ‘beastly’ reputation, and had to switch to Aprilia for a factory ride. But the 26-year-old is now growing in stature himself.

Indeed, there was silence in the garage during Martin’s first Aprilia test last year. The team were desperate to know the feedback of their new leader, and Paolo Bonora says he’ll ‘never forget’ those moments.