Lorenzo knows he must “escape” uncompetitive situation

Eight races into the season, Lorenzo lies eighth in the points with just over half the points tally of championship-leading teammate Andrea Dovizioso, with a solitary podium at Jerez to his credit so far.

At Assen, Lorenzo suffered his worst finish of 2017 and qualified in the worst grid slot of his premier class career to date, starting 21st and only improving to 15th in the race.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Sachsenring race, the Spanish rider admitted the pressure was building to turn the disappointing start to his tenure as a Ducati rider around.

“I have a lot of experience to be as calm as possible,” said Lorenzo. “I’m here because it’s my passion, I want to keep here because of the passion, not because [of any] obligation. I need to ride, by force.

“Obviously a lot of companies, sponsors, invest a lot of money to make me competitive with this bike, this is the will for everyone. This I understand, and obviously I am the one who has most will.

“I don’t feel great in this situation. I want to escape from this situation as soon as possible.”

Lorenzo said in Assen he was prepared to support Dovizioso’s title bid, following the Italian’s back-to-back race wins in Barcelona and Mugello.

Those were both races where Lorenzo enjoyed spells in the lead, his first for Ducati, although he ended up falling back to eighth and fourth respectively.

“On the other side I know I have a lot of capabilities, a lot of talent, and when I feel good on the bike I’m capable of great things,” Lorenzo added.

“Now I don’t feel good, I try to do my best in all conditions.

“I’m working to feel as good as possible on the bike, working with the engineers on the bike, to put it together with my riding and be more competitive.”

Additional reporting by David Gruz