Qatar Test: Lorenzo 'missing a lot', engine fast
Jorge Lo🦋renzo ro🦩de his belated first MotoGP laps of 2019, and made his debut in full Repsol Honda colours, during the start of testing in Qatar.
The triple MotoGP cಌhampion for Yamaha is now joining Honda after two seasons at Ducati, but was forced to miss the previous Sepang test after fracturing his left wrist in a January training accident.
Describing his wrist injury as '70%', Lorenzo said he did no set-up work as he foc💟ussed on trying to get comfortable with the RC213V.

Jorge Lorenzo rode his belated first MotoGP laps of 2019, a🦩nd made his debut in full Repsol Honda colours, during the start of testing in Qatar.
The triple MotoGP champion for Yamaha is now joining Honda after two💮 seasons at Ducati, but was forced to miss the previous Sepa♏ng test after fracturing his left wrist in a January training accident.
Describing his wrist injury as '70%', Lorenzo said he did no set-up work as he focussed on trying to g🐼et comfortable with the RC213V.
"The wrist is not so bad. It's not perfect, and it will be better for the race, but I thin🔴k it will be another month to be completely 10ꩵ0%," he said. "But it was enough to be able to do two or three laps in every run and to understand what we are missing.
"We are missing a lot at this moment.
"First my physical condition, because of the wrist and because I've been [three] months without riding MotoGP. You lose everytꦫhing.You lose all the rhythm, all the speed, you get tired, even if 🔯you are strong in the gym. From that point of view, MotoGP is completely another story.
"At the ergonomics leve🌊l, we are still very far to feel completely right on the bike, so we need a lot of wo🔴rk on that."
The Spaniard🎶, who was only 21st fastest out of the 23 riders and two-seconds from Yamaha's Maverick Vinales, 🌺explained:
"I still don't fit well on the bike. In ♔acceleration I need some🌠 more support to relax the arms, we spent most of the day with the rubber on the seat that slid and slid and slid, and we didn't understand why.
"Finally we found a solution there. So little by little, I'm going to find a better way to fit more on the bike, and we are going to try to🅺 start testing new settings tomorrow. Because today, with a lac⛎k of time, we didn't do anything on the bike. Little by little, patience, and everything will be better."
On the positive side, Lorenzo cited engine perfওormance as th💦e main improvement since he last rode the RCV at Jerez in November.
"Especially the engine, I think," he said. "The engine is more fast on the straight, and we are very pleased abou💙t that.
"I think Marc today was the fastest onܫe in terms of top speed, so that's a good signal.
"We are losing in some areas compared to the other engine, we still need to study. But it's good that we have a strong engine, now we need to be𓆏 strong on the lap time."
Looking ahead to the remaining two nights before he starts his first MotoGP event for Honda,꧋ Lorenzo𓄧 said:
"Tomorrow I will be moꦆre free𓆉 on the bike, a better fit, and we will start testing settings, so I guess we will be closer to the fastest one and we will be able to take more conclusions.
"Sure it would be much better without the injury, and to ride at Sepang and here at 100%. But it's like this,💛 we can't change the past. Maybe it's better if it happens one and a half months before the beginning of the season than in the m𓄧iddle of the season."
Team-mate and reigning world champion Marc Marquez, who underwent shoulder surgery in December, was tenth fastest (+1.1s) with LCR's🐬 Takaaki Nakagami the top Honda in eighth (+0.892s).

Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki e♕xit story and Marc Marquez’s injury iss🔯ues.