Lorenzo prioritising second in standings

The Spaniard is 25 points clear of rival Casey Stoner at present - but if the Australian wins and Lorenzo fails to score, Stoner will take the position on countback and deny Yamaha a one-two in the standings.

Lorenzo admitted that he therefore has to focus on finishing the grand prix, even though he believes he is quick enough to try and win.

"I'm very confident, very motivated and I'm feeling very well," said Lorenzo.

"But the problem is that we need only one point to finish second in the championship. So we have a little bit of pressure to finish the race. We can't take so many risks.

"For sure I would've liked to arrive here at Valencia with the second position already finished, but it's not like that, so we have to finish this race, but I will also be trying to be at the front."

Lorenzo has qualified third for the race, 0.2s down on Stoner, who has been quickest in every session so far.