Lorenzo “doing better than last year” despite poor start

The Spaniard suffered a torrid weekend in mixed conditions in Argentina, failing to make it out of Q1 on Saturday before trailing home 15th in the race, 42 seconds down on race winner Cal Crutchlow.

It means Lorenzo has just a single point to show for his efforts so far in 2018, after brake failure caused him to crash out of 10th place in last month’s season opener in Qatar.

While the three-time premier class champion admitted his performance at Termas de Rio Hondo was poor, he said he feels he has merely been “unlucky” so far and that better results are on the way.

“I find it hard to find the limit of the tarmac in the corners to be comfortable with the conditions we race in today, which are not my strong point,” admitted Lorenzo, who scored five points in the first two rounds of his maiden season with Ducati.

“I was last, and little by little I started making places, passing some riders. In the end my pace was similar to the leaders. We have to focus on that, that I found a good feeling for the next races.

“Undoubtedly in full wet conditions I have would have been more competitive. In the dry maybe a little less, but much better than today’s result.

“Both in Qatar and here we have been very unlucky; I think I’m doing better than last year despite the results. A good result has to come soon, bad luck is not going to last forever.”

No comment on Marquez-Rossi controversy

Asked for his opinion on the controversy surrounding Marc Marquez’s collision with Valentino Rossi, Lorenzo said his poor performance in Argentina made his thoughts on the situation irrelevant.

“Given the circumstances today I prefer not to comment on the issue,” he said. “The winner and those who were involved are the ones who should say things, not the person who was 15th.

“After the race I have done, I prefer not to get involved in such matters. It's not the right moment to do it, it would be opportunistic.”

Additional reporting by Federico Faturos