Ducati engineer was left stunned by one crucial mistake Jorge Martin made in 2024 MotoGP title battle

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Jorge Martin produced a tense battle for the 2024 MotoGP title with Francesco Bagnaia – and he blew the championship wide open with his retirement at the German Grand Prix.

Heading into the ninth race of the season, the Spaniard was leading the championship after grabbing six podiums from the opening eight events.

However, his rival Bagnaia was on top form, having won the last three races in a row, including a dominant display at the previous round at Assen.

But the next race at the Sachsenring suited Martin, and he took advantage of that fact by winning his third Sprint race of the season and securing pole position for Sunday.

In the race, the 26-year-old fought hard with Bagnaia in a tense battle at the front. The factory Ducati rider struggled to find a way past the championship leader.

That was until with just three laps to go, Martin handed his rival a gift with his second retirement of the season – and it was an error that left Pramac and Ducati stunned.

Cristian Battaglia said Jorge Martin cannot fight for the championship with mistakes like the German Grand Prix

Exiting turn one on lap 28, Martin slid into the gravel and out of the race. Bagnaia cruised to his fourth consecutive win and sixth of the season.

The Italian claimed the lead of the Riders’ Championship by 10 points with the victory. Martin was visibly frustrated with himself as he was seen punching his garage wall after the race.

Martin would later state that he read his pit board wrong, believing Bagnaia was closer to him than he actually was. This caused the Spaniard to push harder, subsequently leading to the fall.

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Martin’s data engineer Cristian Battaglia was less than pleased with the error. On episode four of MotoGP’s There Can Be Only One documentary series, the Ducati chief proclaimed Martin could not fight for the championship with those mistakes.

“How can he make these mistakes?” he said.

“You can’t fight for the World Championship with these mistakes”.

What Jorge Martin said about missing out on the second Ducati seat

Despite his mistake at the Sachsenring, Martin pushed on and went on to win his first MotoGP title. The 26-year-old edged Bagnaia by just 10 points to become the first independent team rider to win the championship.

Martin had been tipped to race for Ducati in 2025 alongside Bagnaia. But the Bologna-based outfit ended up signing eight-time Grand Prix championship Marc Marquez – who was mostly a spectator in the title battle in 2024 as he finished third.

Marco Melandri says Martin was told the second Ducati seat was his before being snubbed by his fellow compatriot. The defending champion will move to Aprilia for 2025 alongside Marco Bezzecchi.

Martin’s manager says he reacted with calmness to losing the Ducati seat as he embarks on a new adventure this season. Martin will sport the number one on his Aprilia as he looks to fight for his second title against Ducati.