VOLUME ISSUE DECEMBER , P63
decision—for instance, finishing
second instead of risking too
much for a victory. That's what
brought him to this point."
Valera believes a more settled
personal life also contributed to
a greater feeling of calm. "He's
always been a very social guy.
I'd say in the past, he had maybe
too many friends for a profes
-
sional athlete. He's closed more
the circle around him and now is
with his real friends, which are
the good ones, which he needs.
I'd say he's now able to enjoy
a calmer life thanks to Maria
[Monfort], his girlfriend. When
you're single, you try to spend
more time with your friends. But
I think Maria has helped him a
lot to settle and relax."
The work with his mental
with a [different] tire to the oth
-
ers [Australia]." Such arrogance
paved the way for defeat in cru-
cial moments. Those lessons,
and more, were heeded over the
winter months.
After his crisis of confidence
in January, Jorge and his
team sought out help. "We all
felt there were some areas to
improve, especially in terms of
managing his mind and man
-
aging pressure," Albert Valera,
Martin's personal manager, told
Cycle News. "The brain is prob
-
ably the most important muscle
in the human body, and he fig-
ured out that he had to train it.
"He started working with a
good professional in that area.
They've been working together
all season, and we can see
the results. It's a very demand
-
ing sport mentally, and he got
himself ready for it. We've seen
some changes from him on
track. He's more constant, and
he can manage some situations
better, where he must make a
(Below) Crew Chief Daniele
Romagnoli (left) oversaw a rider
with increased maturity and a
calmer head in 2024.
"Last season was great.
Even after being second,
I was quite happy. But
in January, I started
to have a lot of fears,
like 'I will never be
champion in MotoGP.'"
