Lorenzo: Chances of MotoGP comeback now higher but still low
Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo says the chances of him making a full-time return to the series have increased since his Yamaha test debut, but remain low.

Lorenzo drew a line under a 12-year premier-class career as he walked away from a two-year Honda contract midway through, announcing his retirement at the end of 2019.
Swiftly recruited by Yamaha to serve as its test rider in 2020, Lorenzo rode the M1 bike during the Sepang shakedown and felt immediately at ease with it.
This prompted questions as to whether Lorenzo could yet be tempted to return to MotoGP competition, and when asked when he would consider such an option for 2021, he said: "You know, my first idea when I retired was to retire completely.
"I spent 18 years of my life fully committed to winning, competing, working really hard to get my mission. Now I think I'm in a different stage of my life.
"But I also have to say that the other day I enjoyed a lot, riding the Yamaha. I feel again the happiness I didn't feel for a long time.
"Maybe the last time I felt a professional happiness was when I win in 2018 three races in four, this stage was very happy. But unfortunately with injuries, some bad results, I couldn't feel the same in this last one year and a half.
"And for the moment these three days [of the shakedown] were very happy for me. So if I say in Valencia [2019] there was 99 percent chance to not come back, now can be 98."
Lorenzo - who also rode on the third day of the collective test at Sepang - could make his return to competition as early as this year if he and Yamaha decide to arrange a wildcard outing, with the manufacturer making it clear that it is open to the possibility.
"We have discussed it. It's optional," Yamaha managing director Lin Jarvis said. "So, it's optional for Jorge and optional for us. If he feels he would like to do and if we have the capacity to do it, then we will do it.
"Obviously the main mission of Jorge's contract with us is the development of the bike, so we are more likely to select a grand prix where it has a good sense for us to do the wildcard and then do a test [afterwards], rather than just pick a race out of the blue where there's no logic to do the wildcard.
"It's a matter that we will discuss together, and I think Jorge needs to feel comfortable, needs to feel he will be up to racing speeds, but why not?"
Read Also:

Ducati "struggling" to match rivals' pace - Petrucci
Why Aprilia now belongs in MotoGP's elite class

Latest news
How in-form Quartararo is evoking Marquez in MotoGP 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success.
Why Marquez's surgery is about more than just chasing on-track success
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made