Lorenzo says hard tyre gains needed for Qatar victory bid

The Spaniard finished the final pre-season testing session in Qatar with the fourth quickest time, less than two tenths of a second behind pace-setter Maverick Vinales.

Lorenzo's performance was a significant step forward compared to the previous day, where he had finished almost a second off the pace of the Yamaha rider.

The three-time champion believes Ducati's performance over a single lap with soft tyres should allow him to be in the fight for pole position, but he admitted he needs to find more pace with the harder compounds in order to fight for victory.

"We improved the time and the feeling too [over Saturday]," said Lorenzo. "We did quite a few laps in the 54s, most of them in the 55s, and that was very complicated yesterday.

"Over one lap the bike works really well here. There are many riders who can be very quick with the Ducati and we can aim to fight for pole position with Vinales.

"In terms of race pace we still have a lot of work to do, not only here but long-term. It will be interesting to try to improve the bike with the harder tyre because it will be the most consistent tyre for the race."

He added: "This circuit is good for us. We are competitive over one lap, so let's see if we improve the race pace a bit, but are optimistic leaving here."

Vinales "very strong"

Lorenzo still believes Vinales is favourite for the start of the season given the speed he has displayed during the pre-season, but he acknowledges that Qatar is a good opportunity for Ducati to fight for victory before the championship moves on to less favourable tracks for the Italian marque.

"Yesterday [Saturday] we were very far and today we are very close, especially over one lap," he said.

"But the race pace has improved and the feeling is better. Vinales is very strong, and I don't think it's just the Yamaha, as he's ahead of the other Yamaha riders.

"I understand things better every time and we know when the bike works and when it doesn't. I think this track is a good opportunity to do very well with what we have, but we have to keep working to have a more complete bike and easier for the rider."

The Spanish rider conceded it is hard to predict how strong his championship challenge will be this year, but suggested Ducati needs to work to improve the bike for next season.

"Maybe we have a really good start, fighting for victory or even winning, nothing is impossible," he added. "Or maybe we struggle on our most favoured tracks and even more on the tough ones.

"We have to try to extract the maximum from what we have right now in the sort term and also try to improve the bike for the longer term, let's say the second year."

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont