Jorge Lorenzo stumped by MotoGP form in low-grip conditions
Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo knows he has to work with Yamaha improve his MotoGP form in low-grip conditions
Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo knows he has to work with Yamaha improve his MotoGP form in low-grip conditions.
Lorenzo has struggled in three of this year's seven grands prix, each time when the conditions have offered limited grip.
In Argentina, rain on Saturday evening stripped what little rubber had built up on the track surface, and Lorenzo fell down the order after leading early and then crashed.
He finished second at Jerez in hot conditions on another tricky surface but was no match for team-mate and race winner Valentino Rossi.
Rossi claimed his second win of the season in similar conditions at Barcelona, and Lorenzo again led early before falling down the order to fifth - 10 seconds behind Rossi and battling with front-tyre graining - when he was taken out by Ducati's Andrea Iannone.
"It's always that there is a problem with special conditions with no grip, or with tracks or tarmac that is creating graining in the front, I suffer to be competitive," he said.
"[It has] happened for a number of years. With Bridgestone in Australia in 2014 when I had this graining in the front and I had to slow down a lot.
"It happened in Jerez, even if I finished second, happened [at Barcelona].
"Rossi who has the same bike as me, looks like with his riding or his position on the bike, he struggles less, that he can save the front tyre more.
"He can keep the pace all the race while when I have this problem I have to slow down if I don't want to crash."
Following his second DNF of the season, Lorenzo relinquished the championship lead to Honda's Marquez, who is ahead by 10 points, with Rossi third and 22 points off top spot.
Lorenzo said he would review the situation with Yamaha, but also hopes that Michelin's ongoing tyre development in its first season back in MotoGP will help.
"We have to analyse if we can improve something, obviously my riding is my riding [style], but always it's not too bad to change a little bit," he added.
"We have to analyse to change something in the future, if something like that happens, and also speak to Michelin if we can change a little bit the tyre, to have a more constant pace for everyone.
"Obviously we have to accept our fault and it's something that in these conditions I don't do right."
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About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Drivers | Jorge Lorenzo |
| Teams | AB Motoracing |
| Author | Mitchell Adam |
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