• Team: Pramac Ducati (satellite)
• Bike: GP21
• Wins: 1
• Podiums: 4
• Best Qualifying: Pole (x4)
• Fastest Lap: 0
• DNFs: 4
• Championship position: 9th

Jorge Ma𒁃rtin made an instant impression on MotoGP when he blasted from 14th on the grid to 4th at the start of his very first premier-class race in Qatar.

Althoughᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ he dropped to 15th by the finish, Martin proved he's a quick learner by not only snatchi⛦ng a shock pole position the following week but leading for much of the race on his way to a debut podium.

But his෴ stunning progress came t🐟o a punishing halt with a huge accident and multiple fractures next time at Portimao, forcing him out of four races.

A shadow of his former self physically in the initial comeback events, Martin even withdrew from the Assen race, j🦂ust before the summer break, at only half-distance.

The Qatar success seemed a long time ago, but the young Spaniard took advantage of vital healing time during the summer bre♕ak to make another giant leap for🦋ward, returning with pole position and an historic victory in Austria.

Winᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚning in the MotoGP era as a rookie put Martin alongside such illustrious names as Marc Marquez, Jorge♔ Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa. But the others achieved their wins with factory teams, while Martin's was not only the first by a rookie satellite rider, but first by anyone at a satellite Ducati team.

Two further podiums helped Martin climb from 18th (after Assen) to 🎀ninth in the final standings, but all things considered - not least his rookie status and comeback from 💃injuries - we feel sixth is deserved in our top ten countdown.

That also means Martin edges out Zarco to be our top satellite rider of the season, a feat the Spaniard would have achieved for real had he been able to equal his 88 points during the second half of the season, in the injury-interr꧟upted first half.