SEPANG: Jorge Martin is keen to catch up to Alex Marquez whose strong pace was unmatched in the sprint race at the Petronas Grand Prix of Malaysia today.
Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) settled for second behind Marquez (Gresini Racing) while championship leader Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) was forced to settle for third in the sprint race after being overtaken by the duo in the sixth lap.
Martin admitted that Marquez' pace was impressive. All three riders are on Ducati machinery.
"Alex was unbelievably fast today, I couldn't even follow him," said Martin during the post-race media scrum.
"We need to understand what Alex has with his bike because we are riding the same bike yet (he is) making such a difference. He was riding so well.
"I saw that that he had a lot of confidence with the front (end). He did a good job on (managing) the tire pressure and had good grip in the fast corner exits.
"And he didn't consume tires because he was still constant at the end."
Martin, however, added that he is expecting the overall pace to be slower in tomorrow's main race.
"The guys who start the race tomorrow like they did today (sprint race) will end up finishing seventh or so in the end," added Martin.
"First there is the physical aspect, you cannot ride like it is a time attack for 20 laps.
"And then there are the tires which were already on the limit today. Some riders had already struggled."
Martin is second in the overall MotoGP standings, 11 points adrift of championship leader Bagnaia.