Lorenzo exploring options away from Ducati for 2019 MotoGP season
Jorge Lorenzo has admitted he is exploring options away from the factory Ducati team that will keep him on the MotoGP grid in 2019
The three-time premier class champion and Ducati appear increasingly likely to part ways after a troubled 18-month spell that has yet to yield a race win.
Autosport reported last week that Lorenzo could end up on a satellite Yamaha as his manufacturer options dwindle.
Pramac rider Danilo Petrucci suggested after the previous race at Le Mans that Ducati would choose either him or team-mate Jack Miller to partner Andrea Dovizioso at the works team in 2019.
That was followed by Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali expressing regret during a media event that Ducati's gamble on Lorenzo, who was lured from Yamaha at great expense, had not paid off.
"Lorenzo is a great rider who has not succeeded in getting the best from our bike, a bike that has great strengths and some weaknesses," said Domenicali.
"Unfortunately neither him nor the technicians have managed to make the most of his talent. This is a bit of bitterness that remains."
Addressing those remarks on Thursday at Mugello, Lorenzo said he was beginning to look at alternatives to remain on the MotoGP grid in 2019.
"We are looking at other options [besides Ducati]," said Lorenzo. "I won't comment on Domenicali's remarks.
"I'll only say that I'm not [just] a great rider, I'm a champion."
Lorenzo also moved to dismiss rumours he could decide to retire from MotoGP, alluding to potential plans for him to ride a factory-backed Yamaha at a satellite team next season.
"I will continue the next two years, I will not retire," he said. "And it will be with a good bike.
"It's the only thing that I can say. I guess at Montmelo [Barcelona, in mid-June] I will have more information."
Previous article
Joan Mir 'negotiating flat out' with Suzuki for 2019 MotoGP seat
Next article
Maverick Vinales says Yamaha MotoGP team has its 'fire' back
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
Marc Márquez's first ride after his injury
Marc Marquez continues his recovery
How KTM has ended up with an embarrassment of MotoGP riches
Forming a ladder all the way from Red Bull Rookies Cup to MotoGP, KTM has created a steady stream of top talents in grand prix racing delivering the Austrian marque with the success expected of the brand. Here's how it has gone about it
Why MotoGP will miss its gentle giant
Danilo Petrucci’s days in MotoGP appear numbered, as KTM looks to completely reshuffle the Tech3 team for 2022. Though the Italian's 2021 season so far hasn’t been standout, the giant Italian covertly became a top runner in MotoGP across the last decade and brought with him a personality that world sport sorely needs more of
Why Mir's MotoGP title defence can’t be written off yet
Joan Mir’s defence of his MotoGP title has had an underwhelming start as Suzuki didn’t progress its championship-winning GSX-RR as much as its rivals did with their bikes over the winter. Speaking to Autosport, Mir lays out why his title defence has been stalled so far and why he’s confident title number two is still within reach
The Rossi replacement who’s become the MotoGP leader Yamaha needed
It's been six years since Jorge Lorenzo gave Yamaha its last MotoGP title in 2015. Since his departure at the end of 2016, Yamaha's form has been inconsistent but it has at last found a new talisman to return it to the top spot in the form of a precociously talented Frenchman who currently leads the standings
Why the Vinales/Yamaha MotoGP divorce satisfies both parties
On Monday Yamaha announced it will part ways with Maverick Vinales at the end of the 2021 season - a move requested by the rider. As the already strained relationship between both parties in MotoGP hit rock bottom in recent weeks, this divorce - as ORIOL PUIGDEMONT writes - is good for both Yamaha and Vinales for a number of reasons
The unexpected Rossi/Ducati MotoGP sequel offering redemption
A decade after first linking up with Ducati in what turned out to be an ill-fated period in his MotoGP career, Valentino Rossi has joined forces with the Italian marque once more - this time as a team owner. And the VR46/Ducati tie-up beginning in 2022 has the potential to right the wrongs of Rossi and Ducati's nadir of 2011/2012
Why Yamaha is about to risk losing Valentino Rossi
With Valentino Rossi’s next career move imminent in MotoGP, it is set to have wide-reaching influences on a number of riders and teams on the grid. But one of the biggest impacts will be felt at Yamaha, with its pivotal role in the saga set to see it lose its appointment with ‘The Doctor’
How Marquez beat his Honda in his heroic MotoGP comeback win
Marc Marquez has been through hell and back in the 581 days between his win in the 2019 Valencia season finale and his heroic MotoGP comeback victory in Germany last Sunday. Despite battling physical limitations and a difficult 2021-spec Honda, the Sachsenring provided the perfect storm for the Spaniard to return to the top step
