Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo on Sunday won his first race of the 2018 MotoGP season in the Italian Grand Prix after a crazy, dramatic race in Mugello Circuit. Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso came in second with Movistar Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi in third.
However, Lorenzo admitted Mugello win will not impact his feature at the Italian manufacturer in next season. The three-time premier class champion failed to impress Ducati since joining the team from Yamaha in 2017.
The 31-year-old had appeared as a candidate to replace Andrea Iannone at Suzuki Ecstar and he has also been exploring the possibility of returning to Yamaha team in 2019.
“Nothing has changed. The feature will not be modified after this victory. On one side, I am very happy. It’s probably one of the best races of my life. The best victory of my life but on other side, I’m sad.” Lorenzo said after the race.
“If I had these pieces I need before now, I could have more podiums much earlier, I could have won before that race.” Lorenzo added.
The Spaniard added he had overcome the problems that resulted in tumbling down the order in the previous round at France Grand Prix in Le Mans. He admitted that his struggle stopped from lack of power, arising from a fuel tank design that wasn’t giving him enough physical support.
“I believed I am one of the most honest riders in the paddock, but sometimes the people didn’t believe me. They think I made excuses, but I didn’t.” Lorenzo said.
“I needed this support on the fuel thank to save more energy and I needed the engine smoother. And when Ducati gave me these solutions, I improved so much.
“It’s an amazing dream more than a year without any victory and a lot of suffering because the results didn’t come. It looked like the result would never arrive, but I never gave up.
“I am very determined, when I was 16 years old, when I was riding 125cc with Derbi, I told myself, ‘I’m going to win with this bike,’ finally I win with this bike, same with Ducati.” Lorenzo added.
Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez is still leading the standings by 23 points over Valentino Rossi and 28 points over Maverick Vinales after the Italian Grand Prix race.
