Is Honda's Lorenzo swoop a masterstroke or madness?

The silliest of MotoGP silly seasons in recent memory is finally drawing to a close. And Jorge Lorenzo will not be riding a Ducati, Suzuki or even a satellite Yamaha in 2019.

The news that Lorenzo will join the works Honda team in 2019 on a two-year deal, partnering Marc Marquez, sent shockwaves through the MotoGP paddock last week.

It seems that when Lorenzo addressed the media at Mugello to refute rumours of his impending retirement, declaring instead he would "be on a competitive bike for the next two years", he knew this would be a factory Honda and not the satellite Yamaha that had been widely assumed.

Landing at Honda represents a major coup for the three-time premier class champion, whose options to continue on factory machinery appeared to have run out after Suzuki turned its attentions towards Moto2 frontrunner Joan Mir instead.

The move is also a triumph for new Honda boss Alberto Puig, giving his outfit the 'all-star' line-up it has dreamed of since Casey Stoner's retirement at the end of 2012 denied it the chance to pair the double champion up with then-rising star Marquez.

But just how did the chance for the Lorenzo-Honda dream team come about?

There was a marked shift in tone between Le Mans (where Lorenzo talked of his ongoing desire to make a success of things at Ducati, despite yet another race going from promising start to underwhelming finish) to Thursday at Mugello.

In Italy, he came out swinging against Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali for describing him only as a "great rider" and not a "champion" during a media engagement in Bologna. Although he stopped shy of declaring his Ducati tenure over, that was the clear implication.

There were some senior figures within Ducati who were willing to give Lorenzo more time - not least technical boss Gigi Dall'Igna, who was instrumental in luring him over from Yamaha in the first place on a contract annually worth €12million.

Lorenzo had previously wanted to wait until the Barcelona race to make a decision on his future. But Dall'Igna, team manager Paolo Ciabatti and sporting director Davide Tardozzi were overruled by Domenicali, who had decided ahead of the Italian Grand Prix that Andrea Dovizioso's team-mate in 2019 would not be Lorenzo but Danilo Petrucci.

Given the events that unfolded over the rest of the Mugello weekend, where Lorenzo picked up a long-awaited first MotoGP win in red leathers in typically domineering style, it's a decision that might have been made a little too hastily.

Lorenzo's remarks to the Spanish media after that victory were illuminating. He vented his frustration that his requests to change the Desmosedici's fuel tank, in order to give more physical support and allow him to maintain his pace for longer, were not heeded earlier.

"My story with Ducati is over, it's a question of self-esteem," Lorenzo said. "My future is already decided and this result will not change it.

"A part of me is sad because I know that with this bike I could have fought to be a world champion, which is why I came here. Now it's too late. There is nothing to be done.

"I kept telling people inside the team to believe in me, to bring me what I asked for. They have done it, but too late."

Make no mistake, Lorenzo's first choice was to continue with Ducati, despite his struggles. He had spoken of accepting a sizeable pay cut, and it's understood he was ready to accept a salary roughly equivalent to what Dovizioso is currently earning - under €2m.

But, even before Mugello, it was clear that no offer would be forthcoming, forcing Lorenzo to explore his options. And that's where Puig and Honda come into the story.

"I kept telling people inside Ducati to believe in me, to bring me what I asked for. They have done it, but too late" Jorge Lorenzo

In truth, Dani Pedrosa's days at Honda appeared numbered ever since Puig's arrival as Honda team boss last year. After all, during his stint as a pundit on Spanish TV, Puig (Pedrosa's former manager, incidentally) had been fiercely critical of the two-time 250cc champion and long-time Honda team fixture.

And Pedrosa's 13-season tenure as a works Honda rider is indeed over, although for a while it looked like the team - which pursued Johann Zarco, Dovizioso and Mir, only to be ultimately rejected by all three - might be forced into retaining him for want of an alternative.

But that was before it emerged that Lorenzo, spurned by Ducati and seemingly too expensive for Suzuki to consider hiring, might be available.

Of course, Puig would have needed the approval of Marquez to go ahead. The reigning champion had only ever publicly stipulated that he wanted a "fast team-mate"; though when Marquez said that, the idea of Lorenzo being an option to replace loyal number two Pedrosa probably didn't cross his mind.

Pairing two such formidable riders might seem like a recipe for disaster to some, evoking memories of Lorenzo's tumultuous stints as Valentino Rossi's team-mate at Yamaha. And there are certainly some parallels to be drawn with Lorenzo's arrival at Yamaha in 2008 and the start of his Honda adventure just over a decade on.

But Marquez isn't quite such a political animal as Rossi. Given the influence Marquez wields at HRC, it's highly unlikely that Puig would have been able to go ahead with the Lorenzo move if the team's existing star rider didn't offer at least tacit approval of the move.

You only have to look as far as Rossi's (successful) attempts at preventing Zarco from getting his hands on a factory-spec Yamaha for 2019 to see that not every top rider on the MotoGP grid would be as accommodating as Marquez in such a scenario.

Honda might not be averse to taking a risk, but it wouldn't have countenanced anything that would have made its star rider more likely to consider signing for a rival in future.

Perhaps the true genius of Honda signing Lorenzo, then, is that it could give Marquez an extra challenge and motivation, while at the same time shutting down the argument that says he's had too easy a time of it with Pedrosa on the second works Honda.

That could be the difference between Marquez jumping ship and committing to Honda for even longer, come the next round of contract negotiations in 2021.

What's more, Honda is unlikely to make the same mistakes as Ducati handling Lorenzo.

There was a sense that, after so many mediocre results in comparison with Dovizioso, Ducati had stopped listening to Lorenzo when it came to bike development. Honda will surely have made note and will make certain Lorenzo has everything he wants.

It certainly has the budget to do so. It also, as Pedrosa has proved over the years with a style very different to that of Marquez, has the ability to cater for wildly varying ways of riding.

Pedrosa's smooth style has sometimes not aided his cause, especially in the wet or in cold conditions, but there have been many occasions he has made it work on board the Honda. Don't forget, he's won at least one race every year since his rookie season in 2006.

It stands to reason, therefore, that Lorenzo can find a way to gel with the RC213V, and equally that Honda can make a bike that works for both his riding and for Marquez's late-braking, almost-crashing-in-every-corner, all-action style.

It may have been easy to forget during his first 24 Ducati starts, but Lorenzo is the only rider to have beaten Marquez to a title since the latter's arrival in MotoGP - as well as the only rider to truly come out on top against Rossi on equal machinery.

Marquez isn't quite such a political animal as Rossi. It's highly unlikely Honda would have been able to sign Lorenzo if Marquez didn't offer at least tacit approval

While he is capable of disappearing without trace when things aren't going his way, on his day - as in Mugello - he can be unbeatable.

If he wins a race on a Honda, and few would doubt he can, Lorenzo would become the first man in the MotoGP era to do so on three different bikes.

That would go a long way to repairing his legacy after his tough Ducati stint. And the way he was let go by Ducati - replaced by a rider without a grand prix victory to his name - will only strengthen his determination to make a success of the move.

If Lorenzo hits his stride, and Marquez stays fit and motivated, it's hard to see Honda's MotoGP rivals getting much of a look in over the seasons to come.