Lorenzo insists title not on his mind

Lorenzo's record of four wins and two second places from the six rounds so far this season has made him a clear championship favourite, especially with his Yamaha team-mate Valentino Rossi out injured.

But Lorenzo said he was trying to continue riding as normal without considering the championship, and that it was entirely possible he would notch up a few zero scores between now and the end of the season.

"I accept that possibility of crashing, this could happen," he said. "When you are a rider and you compete in the world championship, you must accept that.

"But every year I know the bike more, I know more about the category and I crash less. So I always want to do the maximum.

"At this moment, I don't think so much about the championship, to be honest."

He acknowledged that he was currently in excellent form and revelling in the Yamaha M1's performance.

"I don't know if the sofa in my lounge is more comfortable, or the bike... I'll have to think about it," the Spaniard joked.

"But it's certainly not easy, what I'm doing. I am pushing. My riding style is smooth, it's something that I've always tried and now I'm perfecting it."

Yamaha's only obvious weakness is that its engine is believed to be down on power compared to Honda and Ducati. The Catalunya track, venue for round seven this weekend, features one of the longest straights in the championship, but Lorenzo does not think his team will be at any kind of disadvantage given the bike's speed around the twister sections.

"Of course we know that Yamaha's engine is not so powerful. But we do have other skills," he said. "So at this track with that long straight, for sure to overtake at that point will be difficult, but we will have a lot of corners to try on."