As our opening photo shows, the emotion was very present iit's just a year ago when Jorge Lorenzo said goodbye as the starting driver of the Grands Prix…
In the process, after some rumors about Aprilia, the three-time MotoGP world champion took on the role of test rider for Yamaha, where he was welcomed with great hopes by Maverick Vinales et Valentino Rossi.
Its first working session took place at the very beginning of February in Sepang, then, unfortunately, the global pandemic limited the Majorcan's news more to hotels and luxury cars than to the development of the M1, mainly due to the difficulty of organize private tests for Japanese engineers.
All, until Portimao test this year, where the 33-year-old driver, riding a 1 M2019, revealed a state of form incompatible with the highest level, having to give everything for two to manage to surpass by half a second Maverick Vinales on an R1.
Unfair or not, the sanction did not take long to fall, with the non-renewal of the contract between Yamaha and Jorge Lorenzo, the great benefit of Cal Crutchlow.
What followed an argument necessarily sterile between the two men on social networks, while, to try to understand the situation, ServusTV questioned the driver on the subject who, between the Grands Prix and private tests, logged the most kilometers this year, Stefan bradl.
“It is obvious that he was not fit during the Portimão test. But where did he come from? I don't know how many months it had been since he had ridden the motorcycle. It's like other athletes in sports. You have to practice. You cannot practice without practice. We don't have to argue about it because the guy is a five-time world champion. He knows how to drive fast. Perhaps his motivation as a test pilot was not as great as it was in the past. I don't know. I don't want to give an opinion on this. I don't know what he will do in the future. Whether he will just want to enjoy life or return to the paddock. It's his decision. »
The German driver, a test driver with Honda for several years, then addresses the problem specific to this profession: always remaining at the best level without necessarily knowing when he will ride...
“I have always prepared, even when it is difficult to stay motivated. You never know when you can get back on the bike. You must always work without having a specific objective. It's a little difficult. I've known this for a few years. I was always happy to be well prepared when it counted. This has always been the case when it happened unexpectedly. This work is delicate. In winter you focus on normal training, endurance and fitness as a test pilot. As a test pilot, you must have a different fitness level than a regular pilot. It's not easy to do this well. »
