A frustrated Jorge Martin felt that Enea Bastianini’s last-lap Misano MotoGP overtake for the lead was a “bit too much.”
The Pramac rider was leading before Bastianini made an ambitious move down his inside at Turn 4, which consequently forced Martin out onto the run-off.
While rejoining the track, Martin showed his frustration with hand gestures and decided to bring the bike home safely and secure the 20 points for his championship hopes.
The overtake resulted in no further action from the stewards, which gave Bastianini the race win at his home Grand Prix.
Post-race, Martin stated that the overtake the factory Ducati rider made was unjust.
“I think the manoeuvre maybe was a bit too much because he pushed me out of the track and I couldn’t fight back,” he said.
“Afterwards I did some gestures because I was a bit hot, but anyway. I think I was the strongest, I deserved the victory, but it’s okay. I will try again [in the] next one.
“I think there was no room to make that manoeuvre. There is not a lot of sense to keep talking about it, because it won’t change anything.
“But for sure I think I deserved that victory. [If] he made a move, at least do it clean and don’t touch me.”
Martin apologises for his actions
In an interview with DAZN later on in the day, Martin apologised for his hot-headed actions on track.
“Obviously Enea deserves the win, he was there until the end. But after leading so many laps and being thrown off the track, it’s not what I expected.
“But that’s the way it is. There’s not much to comment.
“I’m not really happy with Enea’s overtake, but it is what it is. But I didn’t like the way I reacted.
“My reaction was unnecessary and I apologise for my gesture in the heat of the moment. But I still don’t think the overtake was fair.
“It doesn’t matter what I say. I’m going to get criticised from all angles.”
While the 26-year-old was still unhappy with the overtake, he made it abundantly clear that the stewards were inconsistent in their decision-making.
“I exited quite good from corner three. I closed the line so no one could go into this line. So for sure if he was in, I [had to] pick up the bike and we even touched,” he said.
“If he would stay on the track, [then] okay I went wide [and] that’s okay. But he was outside.
“We speak sometimes in race direction but it’s not always clear and it’s not always constant.”
Martin has a 24 point lead in the standings
Following a crash from his title rival, Francesco Bagnaia, the Spaniard now has a 24-point lead heading into the Flyaways.
Martin has not won a Grand Prix since his success at Le Mans, but his consistency has given him the upper hand on his title rival.
The Spaniard will be looking to win his first premier-class championship and become the first rider to win with a satellite MotoGP team in the new era.
A potential championship means he would take the number #1 plate off Bagnaia and Ducati to Aprilia, its biggest rivals in the teams’ standings.
