MotoGP, Qatar J1 Test: Jorge Lorenzo is more than two seconds behind leader Viñales and worried

At Honda Repsol, this first evening in Qatar will not be remembered. We will have to do much better for the two remaining at Losail which will also be the final ones before launching into the 2019 fray. On the same route. In less than two weeks. Too short a deadline for Jorge Lorenzo's scaphoid...

Por Fuera may have sported a new helmet mentioning that he was a champion before being a good driver, this did not panic the clock. The teammate of Marc Márquez, who is making his comeback, having withdrawn from Sepang due to injury, is in an anonymous twenty-first place with a deficit of more than two seconds on the leader Casa Particular in Viñales.

The first question asked of the five-time World Champion was about his state of health: “ my wrist is not perfect, but not that bad “, declared the Spaniard. “ Things will get better for the race, but I don't think I'll be 100% for another month. To be honest, I have difficulty braking. But at least I can do two or three laps to understand the bike and everything else », added the new arrival at Honda.

But time is now running out for him and his team: “ we have maybe three hours a day, as temperatures drop after 21 p.m. and conditions deteriorate. It's not like any other track where you have time all day to test things » he regrets.

« We didn't do as many laps and didn't get to try as many things as we wanted. We didn't do anything on the settings and nothing was done to improve the bike. I still have a long way to go to find the best possible ergonomics ", recognised Lorenzo. " I slip on the footrests and when accelerating, the saddle does not support me enough. I still have a lot to change. Add to that the wrist injury. I need as much time as possible on the bike. Four months is a long time, even if you work really well at the gym. Being on a MotoGP is a different story. Other muscles are used on the bike, so it takes me longer to get in better shape. In four months you lose everything, the rhythm, the speed, you are tired “, he regretted.

The RC213V, however, made a good impression on the 31-year-old driver despite all these pitfalls. I think we improved the engine. Marc Márquez was fastest on the straights today. This is a good signal, because Honda lost some speed against Ducati last year. We still need to work on my aerodynamics because I'm losing something compared to Marc and Crutchlow ».

At the same time, the Majorcan warned not to give too much importance to the first night of testing, which ended in 21st place, at 2,039 seconds: “ we are too far away to draw too many conclusions. On Sunday we will be a little closer, we will improve all the little details a little and work on the preparations. Lap times will be better. It's still the first day, we haven't done many laps ».

MotoGP, Qatar J1 Test: times

1	12	Maverick Vinales	Yamaha M1	1:55.051
2	42	Alex Rins	Suzuki GSX-RR	1:55.159	0.108	0.108
3	4	Andrea Dovizioso	Ducati GP19	1:55.550	0.499	0.391
4	9	Danilo Petrucci	Ducati GP19	1:55.594	0.543	0.044
5	46	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha M1	1:55.604	0.553	0.010
6	53	Tito Rabat	Ducati GP18	1:55.694	0.643	0.090
7	20	fabio quartararo	Yamaha M1	1:55.772	0.721	0.078
8	30	Takaaki Nakagami	Honda RC213V	1:55.943	0.892	0.171
9	44	Pol Espargaro	KTM RC16	1:56.040	0.989	0.097
10	93	Marc Márquez	Honda RC213V	1:56.167	1.116	0.127
11	36	Joan mir	Suzuki GSX-RR	1:56.264	1.213	0.097
12	41	Aleix Espargaró	Aprilia RS-GP	1:56.358	1.307	0.094
13	29	Andrea Iannone	Aprilia RS-GP	1:56.447	1.396	0.089
14	21	Franco Morbidelli	Yamaha M1	1:56.511	1.460	0.064
15	63	Francis Bagnaia	Ducati GP18	1:56.738	1.687	0.227
16	5	Johann zarco	KTM RC16	1:56.770	1.719	0.032
17	88	Miguel Oliveira	KTM RC16	1:56.891	1.840	0.121
18	35	Cal Crutchlow	Honda RC213V	1:56.921	1.870	0.030
19	43	Jack Miller	Ducati GP19	1:56.932	1.881	0.011
20	17	Karel Abraham	Ducati GP18	1:57.053	2.002	0.121
21	99	Jorge Lorenzo	Honda RC213V	1:57.090	2.039	0.037
22	38	Bradley Smith	Aprilia RS-GP	1:57.137	2.086	0.047
23	55	Hafiz Syahrin	KTM RC16	1:57.459	2.408	0.322