Martin’s 100% podium finish record in 2024 came to an end last Sunday at the Americas Grand Prix when he was overtaken for third by Ducati’s Enea Bastianini on the penultimate lap.
While the Pramac rider’s lead was cut, he still holds a 21-point lead over Bastianini heading to next week’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Reigning double world champion Bagnaia won the Qatar GP but missed the sprint podium in Portugal due to a mistake while leading before a collision took him out of that GP.
And in Austin, Bagnaia struggled for grip on his way to sixth in the sprint and battled chatter issues in the GP to only come away with fifth to trail Martin by 30 points.
Despite this, Martin believes Bagnaia is still the favourite for this year’s championship but believes the fight is much more open than it was in 2023.
“I don’t know, I think there are a lot of riders who can be fighting for the championship,” he said.
“I think still Pecco is the favourite because he won last season, he is the number one.
Source: Autosport