Marquez pulled alongside his compatriot at the entrance to the Münzer chicane, pushing past him with a fierce maneuver – and forcing Martin wide off the ideal line.
Martin stated: "I couldn't do anything about it. I really tried hard to hold the position. It was important not to go too wide."
But on the subsequent change of direction, he nearly crashed. "Because of that, I lost several positions," said Martin, who suddenly found himself in eighth place.
Never Gave Up
The 2024 world champion knew before the Sprint start that he could win. But after that first lap, he no longer saw a chance for first place.
However, Martin showed his fighting spirit. Lap after lap, the 28-year-old worked his way forward, passing one competitor after another in Turn 1.
Ich habe nie aufgegeben und die Reifen unfassbar gut gemanagt. Der Speed war unglaublich.
As the race progressed, his belief in a Sprint victory grew again. He emphasized: "I never gave up and managed the tires incredibly well. The speed was incredible."
Successfully Exacted Revenge
With seven laps remaining, the Spaniard from Madrid was back behind Marquez and gave the eight-time world champion no chance to fight back during the overtaking maneuver in his favorite Turn 1.
"The thing with Marc is: if you overtake him like any other rider, he will immediately counter. You therefore have to brake the bike better and try to have a good corner exit," Martin explained.
He left Marquez no choice but to ride through the run-off area. The Ducati star himself said: "I saw that Jorge was coming very fast. And with seven laps remaining, it wouldn't have been smart to defend hard."
Sprint Victory Only Thanks to Acosta's Error
The Sprint victory was still out of reach until Acosta crashed. Martin knows: "Pedro was really strong. He crashed – that's the only reason I won."
Coming back from eighth place, overtaking Marquez, and securing the win would have "felt great." "I had this hunger to be fast. I showed all my skill today," beamed the Spaniard.
Arm Pump Problems Overcome?
Besides the Sprint victory and the regained championship lead, Martin also registered a third triumph.
Morgen treffe ich eine Entscheidung - doch es sieht danach aus, als könnte ich eine Operation umgehen.
In recent weeks, he had been struggling with arm pump issues; after the past weekend in Misano, surgery was not ruled out, even though Martin saw his championship chances severely jeopardized by it.
However, he happily noted: "My arm feels significantly better than last Saturday in Misano. Tomorrow I will make a decision – but it looks like I might be able to avoid surgery."
Martin Suspects: Acosta Will Go All In
On Sunday, the "Martinator" expects a similarly tough fight as in the Sprint – with the same protagonists. Martin has particularly high expectations for Acosta: "He will go all in to win his first race."
He hopes to proceed a little smarter himself and execute his overtaking maneuvers more cleverly than at the start of the Sprint. Martin: "If I can manage the first lap more cleanly, I can be even stronger."
