The second day of testing organized at the Losail circuit did not go much better than the first for Jorge Lorenzo. Twelfth on Thursday, he ranked fourteenth on Friday in 1'55.562, almost a second (exactly 0.976) behind leader Andrea Iannone.
The situation is not catastrophic for the Spaniard, but we must not forget that he has held the absolute circuit record in 1'53 since 2008, and no driver has won more Grands Prix than him in Qatar. Progress can therefore logically be expected on the third and final day.
To Jorge Lorenzo, « It was better than it looked. I only used a soft rear tire at the worst time of the day.
“So I have a lot of room for improvement. That's why I expect to be much faster on Saturday.
“But what is true: My rhythm is not good between 19 and 21 p.m. It's the truth. The other drivers are much faster. They don't suffer so much from cooler temperatures and increasing humidity.
“I have big problems with this. The race will also take place at 19 p.m. We must therefore find solutions to these conditions.
“Perhaps I have less grip than the other drivers in the increasing humidity. I lose confidence entering the corner when the grip decreases. That's why we tried many settings.
“I also rode with the fairing without fins. It offers a lot of good but also some bad aspects. Lap times were the same with both fairings.
“If I can find the perfect setup and put new tires on, then I can run 1'54. »
Combined ranking of the first two days:
Photos © Ducati and Motogp.com / Dorna
