After dominating the first day of testing for several hours, Jorge Lorenzo finally finished this Thursday in fifth position with a time of 1'55.423, 0.370 behind Maverick Vinales' fastest time on Yamaha. Jorge finished in second place for the Ducati, 0.3 behind his teammate Andrea Dovizioso.
Lorenzo went through a bad patch during the Thailand tests, after having obtained the best time in Sepang. This Thursday in Doha, he had a good performance in Qatar.
In Buriram, Jorge worried his supporters by trying a GP17, which was not at all planned. Ducati requisitioned Petrucci's spare bike for him at the very last minute, who then only had a GP18. The absence of serenity seemed to have disappeared in Qatar where Lorenzo seemed more serene.
According to Jorge Lorenzo, who are " The bike has improved a bit from last year. We can follow the best drivers. The fact that things go better here than in Thailand is mainly due to the characteristics of the track.
“I was able to ride well from the start, the pace is impressive. But when the temperature dropped in the night, the track got colder and the humidity increased, I didn't feel the same as in the afternoon, when it was warmer.
“We changed the tires, but we don't know what it was. In the first hours I was very competitive, I was even in the lead, so we are on the right track.”
Is Buriram one of those tracks where Ducati will have problems in 2018?
“Yes, so far only Buriram worries us. Here in Qatar we need to understand why we have trouble when it's colder, because we suffer more than others. Also, I generally want to find better feel for the front wheel. »
In Thailand, Jorge also had a 2017 Ducati in the pits. Will he try such a model at Losail?
“In Buriram, the 2017 chassis did not work, here I don't have one in the stand, that's why we are focusing on the 2018 Ducati, which can still be improved, but we can try to simulate the 2017 version in 2018
“In any case, one thing is certain: we are better off than a year ago. The new bike has potential, but we are not making it perfect yet. »
First day ranking:
1. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, 1:55,053 min
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,051 sec
3. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +0,054
4. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,133
5. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 0,370
6. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +0,379
7. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,379
8. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,475
9. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +0,483
10. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,492
11. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, +0,502
12. Jack Miller, Ducati, +0,635
13. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +0,795
14. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +0,800
15. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +0,878
16. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +0,976
17. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,009
18. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +1,215
19. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +1,222
20. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,368
21. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,555
22. Hafizh Syahrin, Yamaha, +1,678
23. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +2,239
24. Xavier Siméon, Ducati, +2,660
Photos © Motogp.com / Dorna
