MotoGP championship leader J🍰orge𝓡 Martin has spoken about the pressure he feels during a race weekend and the anxiety he has struggled with since childhood.

The Spaniard has enjoyed a hugely successful career in grand prix racing, which includes a Motoꦆ3 title in 2018 and m𝄹ultiple MotoGP victories.

Martin stepped up to the premier class in 2021 with Pramac Ducati and brushed off a serious accident during practice for the Portuguese GP - which forced him out of four rounds - to score a 🍌maiden win in Austria that year.

Last year, Martin fought for the world title and was runner-up, while he leads the standings by 10 points in 2024 with four rounds to go in what has been a♛n incredibly consistent campaign.

Martin hasꦿ won three grands prix and scored nine other Sunday podiums, as well as five sprint victories.

But he has also suffered four non-scores and threw away a꧟ podium opportunity at the San Marino GP due to a strategy error in flag-to-flag conditions.

In an interview with Marca, Marti♛n opened up on the pressure he has felt on race weekend🐻s.

“It's complicated, I try to focus a lot on my feeling💛s on the bike,” 💮he said.

“When you are off the bike, there is a lot of noise, a lot of thoughts, a lot of headaches, but the moment you get on the track, this pressu🐠re disappears.

“That's the important thing. If that pressure got a hold of me, or 🐲those thoughts got a hold of me, I would get stuck and I wouldn't be able to ride the bike.

“I leave the circuit and it stays here.

“As soon as I finished the race I w🍒as much more relaxed. That pressure w꧙ill come back on Saturday or Sunday in Australia.

“Those nerves, that discomfort, that I've had all my life, since I was little, is something normal and will be all my ♐life.

“It's about knowing how to🥀ꦇ live with it, that it doesn't take over me.”

Martin revealed ahead of last weekend’s Japanese GP - in which he finished second to title rival Francesco Bagnꦆaia - that he did not enjoy fighting for the championship in 2023 owing to tꩵhe pressure.

However, this year he is much happier in this situation and feelsꦡ like he has grown as a rider fighting for a title.