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?"
Previous article
Ducati "struggling" to match rivals' pace - Petrucci
Next article
Why Aprilia now belongs in MotoGP's elite class
Why Quartararo’s suit penalty highlights a wider issue in MotoGP
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo racing with his leather suit open and subsequent penalty has been the main talking point of the Catalunya MotoGP weekend, which has highlighted a wider issue with MotoGP’s stewarding that risks a negative precedent going forward.
How MotoGP’s “beast” tamers bounced back at Catalunya
The expectation on KTM to replicate its winning form from 2020 this season made its difficult start to the new MotoGP campaign even more disappointing. But a key update has seen KTM's fortunes reversed over the last week and returned it to the top step of the podium in Barcelona
The signs that point to Rossi's MotoGP retirement
It's not been a happy start to 2021 for Valentino Rossi at the Petronas SRT satellite squad, with performances that are a shadow of the rider that utterly dominated MotoGP at the start of the new millennium. At the age of 42, how much longer can he go on?
Why the most significant Le Mans MotoGP performance wasn't Miller's
Hot on the heels of his first MotoGP win in five years, Jack Miller made it two from two with a commanding French Grand Prix victory at Le Mans despite two long-lap penalties. Impressive though it was, it was an expectation-defying performance from an anticipated title rival that was the real standout.
The impossible problem Honda faces with its 2021 MotoGP bike
Honda hasn’t enjoyed an easy start to the 2021 MotoGP campaign, despite gains last season which looked to have carried over into the pre-season. Now admitting it does have issues in serious need of resolving, it faces an almost impossible task in doing so.
How Jerez underlined MotoGP's speed problem
The brutal nature of a series of crashes at Jerez has reopened the debate about whether current MotoGP speeds are beyond the safety limits of the tracks. But even if riders are supportive of the move, getting the manufacturers to find a consensus on how speed reductions should be achieved may be altogether harder
How a Crutchlow helped Miller to Jerez MotoGP redemption
Jack Miller’s tough start to life as a factory Ducati MotoGP rider left him mentally battered and bruised, but a pep talk and positive reinforcement from a surprising source aided the Australian to show his full potential with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
