Lorenzo: 2019 "same situation" as Yamaha debut with Rossi

Lorenzo has left Ducati to replace Dani Pedrosa at the Repsol Honda outfit, which helped Marquez to five MotoGP riders' titles in the past six years.

Rossi was likewise a five-time champion when Lorenzo arrived at Yamaha in 2008, and the Italian added two more titles to his tally before Lorenzo secured his first crown in 2010.

“During my career in MotoGP I share the box with probably four riders - Valentino, [Ben] Spies, Dovi [Andrea Dovizioso] and now with Marc, and this situation is quite similar from the one when I start in MotoGP in 2008,” Lorenzo said.

“At that time Valentino was in the peak of his career - he didn't win [the championship] in 2006, 2007, but he was always fighting for the world title and he knew the bike a lot.

“[It's] more or less the same situation I have now that I come to a new team, Marc as a very very strong teammate, knowing a lot the bike.

“For sure in that area Marc has a big advantage.”

Lorenzo says he will approach his debut season alongside Marquez, who has 44 premier-class wins to his new teammate's 47 despite having joined MotoGP five years later, “with a lot of humility”.

“I always say that he is a phenomenon,” Lorenzo said of Marquez.

“I have lot of things to learn from him so I come into the team with lot of happiness and proudness but also with lot of humility to try to little by little understand everything and little by little get the results.”

While Lorenzo's famously smooth riding style changed during his time at Ducati, it remains clearly different to that of Marquez.

But the reigning champion is convinced this will not be an issue for Honda, as Lorenzo's initial feedback about the RC213V's shortcomings has matched his own.

“For Honda is not a big problem, because already when Dani was in the box we had a completely different riding style,” Marquez said.

“And Honda has enough potential, especially HRC [Honda Racing Corporation], to have two different ways to improve the bike.

“But in the end, when you are riding fast, when you are riding in the last tenth, all the riders, we are asking the same. The most important thing is that for example me, Jorge, [LCR Honda rider] Cal [Crutchlow], we have more or less the same problems on the same areas.

“So this is the way to work with all the team and try to improve for this 2019.”

Additional reporting by German Garcia Casanova

Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team, Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images