#CatalanGP J.3 Jorge Lorenzo “I need a more natural contact with the bike, to use my potential”

Lorenzo had an incredible race, superb domination during the first laps, then very difficult afterwards, before finding a second wind and coming back like a plane on the drivers who preceded him. The final fourth place could only be a disappointment, given the potential glimpsed at the start of the Grand Prix, when we seemed to have found the Lorenzo of the great days. But the overall performance was good, considering the circumstances, and we would not be surprised to soon find Jorge on the top step of the podium.

Qualifying was exemplary, with a second place on the grid behind Dani Pedrosa, in whom Ducati (Paolo Ciabatti) and Yamaha (Lin Jarvis) clearly saw the favorite of the event. But Jorge made a great start and immediately took command ahead of Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. He did not succeed in outpacing the two Hondas, but was ahead of them for five laps, before they overtook him, then imitated by Andrea Dovizioso, Jonas Folger, Danilo Petrucci, Alvaro Bautista and Johann Zarco.

In his free fall, Lorenzo had gone from first place on the fifth lap to eighth by eleventh. A real collapse. And while we expected the worst, the Ducati and its tires (hard at the front and at the rear) found an almost unexpected second wind, allowing Jorge to embark on a magnificent comeback.

He doubled Alvaro Bautista, then Johann Zarco, then Jonas Folger, and Danilo Petrucci, to obtain a satisfactory fourth place, taking into account the problems encountered. More than the result itself, it was the manner that counted, promising good times for the rest of the Championship.

For Jorge Lorenzo, “ I'm happy for my team and for Dovi, because it's incredible to win back to back. This would have seemed unrealistic a few months ago. I am also satisfied with my race, because every time we find something new.  

“On Saturday, I made the first line. Now I was able to lead the race 0,5 seconds ahead of Márquez. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep this pace. I knew before the race that I didn't have Dani's pace. Additionally, Dovi was very competitive with worn tires.

“Márquez surprised me. I thought his performance would decline, but he kept a good pace. In the end I was able to secure 4th place, because I saved the rear tire. I always went easy on the gas. So I finally had more traction than the drivers in the chasing group and overtook them. 

“For the first time, I was less than ten seconds from the winner. It was a good race, but of course I want to win. My ranking isn't where I want it, but I'm getting close. I need a more natural contact with the bike, to use my potential. These are normal races, good, but not exceptional.

“I was a driver who suffered from the hot conditions, because I was able to accelerate earlier than the other drivers. It didn't help with the skating. But in the last few races I understood how to protect the tires better. I have improved significantly in this regard. 

“We were lucky to have less graining than the Honda riders. They had more problems on the right side of the front tire. Therefore, Dovi could be consistent. He made no mistakes and suffered less. This is why he was able to win easily – like in Mugello. Compared to 2016, Ducati made a big improvement in Jerez and Barcelona.

“Everyone thought last year that Marquez had learned from his crashes. But there is a difference between comfortable leadership and relapse, like this year. The approach is then different. Marc always attacks, but it's his Supermoto or Motocross style, he always pushes. It's his style to live like that. Other pilots, like Dovi or me, are more aware of the risks. This has advantages and disadvantages. I think he will continue to drive like this. »

Race ranking:

1- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP

2- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 3.544

3- Dani Pedrosa - Repsol Honda Team - Honda RC213V - + 6.774

4- Jorge Lorenzo – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 9.608

5- Johann Zarco – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 13.838

6- Jonas Folger – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 13.921

7- Alvaro Bautista – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 16.763

8- Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 20.821

9- Hector Barbera – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 23.952

10- Maverick Vinales – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 24.189

11- Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda – Honda RC213V – + 28.329

12- Loris Baz – Reale Avintia Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 – + 33.281

13- Scott Redding – OCTO Pramac Racing – Ducati Desmosedici GP – + 35.200

14- Karel Abraham – Pull&Bear Aspar Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP15 – + 39.436

15- Tito Rabat – EG 0,0 Marc VDS – Honda RC213V – + 40.872

16- Andrea Iannone – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 43.221

17- Sylvain Guintoli – Team Suzuki Ecstar – Suzuki GSX-RR – + 44.655

18- Pol Espargaro – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – KTM RC16 – + 48.993

19- Sam Lowes – Aprilia Racing Team Gresini – Aprilia RS-GP – + 55.492

World Championship :

1 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 111 points

2 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 104

3 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 88

4 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 84

5 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 83

6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 75

7 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 59

8 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 51

9 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 45

10 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 42

11 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 34

12 Scott REDDING-Ducati 33

13 Jack MILLER-Honda 30

14 Loris BAZ-Ducati 23

15 Andrea IANNONE-Suzuki 21

16 Hector BARBERA-Ducati 21

17 Tito RABAT-Honda 19

18 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 17

19 Karel ABRAHAM-Ducati 11

20 Michele PIRRO-Ducati 7

21 Alex RINS-Suzuki 7

22 Pol ESPARGARO-KTM 6

23 Bradley SMITH-KTM 6

24 Sam LOWES-Aprilia 2

25 Sylvain GUINTOLI-Suzuki 1

Photo © Ducati