Neil Hodgson has urged George Martin to improve his ‘missing piece’ amid Marco Bezecic’s title fight.

Alex Marquez wins FP1 at the Catalan Grand Prix! Will he repeat his 2025 triumph this weekend in Barcelona?

However, with five rounds currently in the books, Bezcicci looks the more consistent driver at round one. The Italian rider has passed his own qualification Aprilia With his team-mate at every round so far, Martin won Le Mans on the third row of the grid.

Thus, MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson The 2024 world champion is urged to regain his former form in a round of shooting to secure his all-round advantage heading into the final stages of his title fight with Bezeci.

Neil Hodgson urges George Martin to improve his fitness

Season TNT Sports Covering FP1 at the Catalan Grand Prix, Hodgson pointed to the Spaniard’s qualifying results as a clear indication of exactly what to expect in the coming rounds of the competition.

Martin He has claimed a total of 20 pole positions since joining Grand Prix motorcycle racing’s premier class in 2021, but his last head-to-head start will be at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

“I’ll tell you what, Martin, who has been king throughout his career in qualifying, is the missing piece of the jigsaw at the moment,” began Hodgson, before referring to the Aprilia star’s results on Saturday morning.

“I’m double checking, it’s hard to believe he didn’t have a front row start. Martin got fifth, fifth, seventh, eighth.”

Team-mate Silvan Guintoli highlighted how he was out of position on the grid, with Hodgson adding: “He’s always been the guy, hasn’t he? I remember in Moto3, he got his first pole, and from then on he just couldn’t stop.”

He is not wrong. Martin has scored pole in a third of the Moto3 Grands Prix he has competed in. The first came at the 2017 Qatar Grand Prix, paving the way for an impressive five-match streak in the campaign.

Bezeci, on the other hand, has been impressive during qualifying this year. Hodgson said: “If you look at Bezecic’s form, out of five competitions, he’s made four front-row appearances.

Of course, Martin’s injury-plagued campaign last year meant he couldn’t quite find the limits of the Aprilia prototype in one season. His incredible instincts have helped him with his impressive running speed, but there is no doubt that Martin needs to improve his passing record.