Source: Cycle World
Jorge Lorenzo gives his take on Bagnaia and Márquez as teammates for 2025. (MotoGP/)Five world titles, countless injuries, and a lot of experience. Nowadays Jorge Lorenzo races in the Italian Endurance Championship with Aston Martin, but he continues his involvement in two wheels as a commentator. Former MotoGP racer who competed with Yamaha, Honda, and Ducati and was the protagonist of numerous memorable battles with Valentino Rossi, Jorge offers a point of view about the championship that is always interesting and never predictable.Awaiting the resumption of the racing season at Silverstone on Sunday, August 4, we met him in Mugello on occasion of the ACI Racing Weekend for an exclusive interview.From two to four wheels, how is racing in Mugello by car?“I love Mugello, together with Phillip Island, it is the track I love most. On four wheels it is less physically demanding, but in terms of racing there are many similarities. I love speed and the adrenaline of racing but without too much stress. I have many interests; I do many things. I also try to enjoy life as much as I can, and I think I would no longer be willing to make all the sacrifices I made in the past as when I was racing in the GPs.”What race was your best win at Mugello?“I won six times at Mugello, every victory is special but winning with Ducati was very meaningful because I struggled so much to adapt and finally be competitive with the Desmosedici.”Currently in MotoGP, how do you view Honda’s situation?“It’s always difficult to judge from the outside, and I don’t find it correct if you don’t have all the information. What is certain is that Honda is experiencing a really complicated situation. They have lost direction. When you are so far behind, it is difficult to find motivation and to start from scratch. It’s a condition I would not like to experience.”Lorenzo says it’s difficult to say why Honda is currently struggling. (MotoGP/)There has been a change at the top with Taichi Honda taking over as technical director. He is an engineer who has won a lot in rally-raids, especially the Dakar Rally. Can coming from a different background be helpful?“I don’t know him personally, but for sure the leader is the key player, especially in the process of rebuilding a team and redesigning a bike.”How much does the bike really matter?“When an extraordinary ace like Marc Márquez can’t finish in the top seven, then it is clear that the problem is represented by the bike. A good rider like Pol Espargaró tried too, and he didn’t get any result. The same is happening with Joan Mir, who is a champion anyway.You won three titles with Yamaha. How much does it hurt to see your former team so far behind?“Yamaha is struggling, but the key point is another one: It is more that Ducati has done such a great job to really stand out. Yamaha has improved much less than the Ducati in the last 10 years. The real credit goes to Gigi Dall’Igna. Just look at the lap times and the pole positions. The Ducatis are two seconds faster than they were 10 years ago, while Yamaha and Honda are further behind. They haven’t improved enough compared to the Desmosedici.”Lorenzo won three titles on Yamaha. He says that the team just hasn’t progressed at the same rate as the Ducatis. (MotoGP/)Ducati has been often criticized for rider management, even when you were racing. What do you think of the musical chairs that happened for the factory bike alongside Pecco Bagnaia?“Jorge Martín was unlucky in meeting Márquez in the race for a seat in the factory team. He deserved more than anyone else and he would have one versus any other rider. But on Ducati’s side, I can understand that it’s difficult to say no to Marc Márquez.”Is the Bagnaia-Márquez duo a dream team?“The Bagnaia-Martín duo would have been very strong too, especially looking long term. Pecco is 27 years old, Jorge 26, while Marc is 31 years old. So Bagnaia-Márquez is not the best combination if you look five or six years ahead, but definitely for the next two years, it’s a great combination.”Bagnaia is fighting for a third MotoGP title in a row. (MotoGP/)Márquez wants to win at least one more title at all costs before he retires. Could this create a lot of tension in the team?“Márquez is not a team player, and I believe that no rider should be a team man. Sport in general is selfish, even more for an individual discipline like roadracing. All the great champions, from Giacomo Agostini to Valentino Rossi—or Marc Márquez himself—they all race for themselves. I don’t know a champion who is not selfish and super competitive. Maybe in football it is different, but not in individual sports.”Do you think his presence could challenge him to further raise the bar?“It will be a great fight. Pecco has a very clean riding style, he rides with the consistency of a robot. Marc is a robot too, but the Italian is younger and I think he hasn’t reached the peak of his potential yet. This means that there is still margin for improvement, plus he is more experienced with the Ducati and he’s in good shape.”What about Marc?“If we talk about talent and ambition, Marc might be superior to Bagnaia, but he’s already reached the peak of his career and momentum. He is older, and he suffered this injury in his arm that somehow is limiting him. So I think it will be a great battle. The forces are balanced.”Lorenzo says he is sure Márquez will win another title before retirement. (MotoGP/)Márquez or Bagnaia? On whom would you bet?“Many people said that Marc would have won the title already this year with Gresini, but he hasn’t won a race yet. So in the end, the forces are very balanced. So I wouldn’t bet on any one of the two, but I’m sure that Marc will win another title before he retires, so if Bagnaia wins this year, I would love to see Márquez winning in 2025.”Jorge Martín was very upset by Ducati’s choice. Do you think that he can turn all this frustration into a driving force?“I have no doubt his speed and talent. If he will fight for the title? It will depend more on Aprilia than on him. If they build a more competitive bike, Jorge will definitely fight for the title, otherwise it is not possible to fight versus the two Ducatis if the bike is not there. At this moment Aprilia needs to improve its reliability and to become a more complete bike.”How do you see the 2024 title fight?“Bagnaia is leading with 10 points of advantage on Martín. It’s tough for Jorge now because Pecco is at the peak of his form.”Lorenzo says Martín’s future success is up to Aprilia, not his will to win and skill as a rider. (MotoGP/)Pedro Acosta is the surprise of 2024. How do you see him?“I like him a lot. He has the charisma of Casey Stoner and Rossi, and Márquez’s self-confidence and ambition. He distinguishes himself for his preparation, the thousands of hours he has spent on the bike since he was a child. I would just advise him to be careful with the crashes.”
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Jorge Lorenzo gives his take on Bagnaia and Márquez as teammates for 2025. (MotoGP/)
Five world titles, countless injuries, and a lot of experience. Nowadays Jorge Lorenzo races in the Italian Endurance Championship with Aston Martin, but he continues his involvement in two wheels as a commentator. Former MotoGP racer who competed with Yamaha, Honda, and Ducati and was the protagonist of numerous memorable battles with Valentino Rossi, Jorge offers a point of view about the championship that is always interesting and never predictable.
Awaiting the resumption of the racing season at Silverstone on Sunday, August 4, we met him in Mugello on occasion of the ACI Racing Weekend for an exclusive interview.
From two to four wheels, how is racing in Mugello by car?
“I love Mugello, together with Phillip Island, it is the track I love most. On four wheels it is less physically demanding, but in terms of racing there are many similarities. I love speed and the adrenaline of racing but without too much stress. I have many interests; I do many things. I also try to enjoy life as much as I can, and I think I would no longer be willing to make all the sacrifices I made in the past as when I was racing in the GPs.”
What race was your best win at Mugello?
“I won six times at Mugello, every victory is special but winning with Ducati was very meaningful because I struggled so much to adapt and finally be competitive with the Desmosedici.”
Currently in MotoGP, how do you view Honda’s situation?
“It’s always difficult to judge from the outside, and I don’t find it correct if you don’t have all the information. What is certain is that Honda is experiencing a really complicated situation. They have lost direction. When you are so far behind, it is difficult to find motivation and to start from scratch. It’s a condition I would not like to experience.”
Lorenzo says it’s difficult to say why Honda is currently struggling. (MotoGP/)
There has been a change at the top with Taichi Honda taking over as technical director. He is an engineer who has won a lot in rally-raids, especially the Dakar Rally. Can coming from a different background be helpful?
“I don’t know him personally, but for sure the leader is the key player, especially in the process of rebuilding a team and redesigning a bike.”
How much does the bike really matter?
“When an extraordinary ace like Marc Márquez can’t finish in the top seven, then it is clear that the problem is represented by the bike. A good rider like Pol Espargaró tried too, and he didn’t get any result. The same is happening with Joan Mir, who is a champion anyway.
You won three titles with Yamaha. How much does it hurt to see your former team so far behind?
“Yamaha is struggling, but the key point is another one: It is more that Ducati has done such a great job to really stand out. Yamaha has improved much less than the Ducati in the last 10 years. The real credit goes to Gigi Dall’Igna. Just look at the lap times and the pole positions. The Ducatis are two seconds faster than they were 10 years ago, while Yamaha and Honda are further behind. They haven’t improved enough compared to the Desmosedici.”
Lorenzo won three titles on Yamaha. He says that the team just hasn’t progressed at the same rate as the Ducatis. (MotoGP/)
Ducati has been often criticized for rider management, even when you were racing. What do you think of the musical chairs that happened for the factory bike alongside Pecco Bagnaia?
“Jorge Martín was unlucky in meeting Márquez in the race for a seat in the factory team. He deserved more than anyone else and he would have one versus any other rider. But on Ducati’s side, I can understand that it’s difficult to say no to Marc Márquez.”
Is the Bagnaia-Márquez duo a dream team?
“The Bagnaia-Martín duo would have been very strong too, especially looking long term. Pecco is 27 years old, Jorge 26, while Marc is 31 years old. So Bagnaia-Márquez is not the best combination if you look five or six years ahead, but definitely for the next two years, it’s a great combination.”
Bagnaia is fighting for a third MotoGP title in a row. (MotoGP/)
Márquez wants to win at least one more title at all costs before he retires. Could this create a lot of tension in the team?
“Márquez is not a team player, and I believe that no rider should be a team man. Sport in general is selfish, even more for an individual discipline like roadracing. All the great champions, from Giacomo Agostini to Valentino Rossi—or Marc Márquez himself—they all race for themselves. I don’t know a champion who is not selfish and super competitive. Maybe in football it is different, but not in individual sports.”
Do you think his presence could challenge him to further raise the bar?
“It will be a great fight. Pecco has a very clean riding style, he rides with the consistency of a robot. Marc is a robot too, but the Italian is younger and I think he hasn’t reached the peak of his potential yet. This means that there is still margin for improvement, plus he is more experienced with the Ducati and he’s in good shape.”
What about Marc?
“If we talk about talent and ambition, Marc might be superior to Bagnaia, but he’s already reached the peak of his career and momentum. He is older, and he suffered this injury in his arm that somehow is limiting him. So I think it will be a great battle. The forces are balanced.”
Lorenzo says he is sure Márquez will win another title before retirement. (MotoGP/)
Márquez or Bagnaia? On whom would you bet?
“Many people said that Marc would have won the title already this year with Gresini, but he hasn’t won a race yet. So in the end, the forces are very balanced. So I wouldn’t bet on any one of the two, but I’m sure that Marc will win another title before he retires, so if Bagnaia wins this year, I would love to see Márquez winning in 2025.”
Jorge Martín was very upset by Ducati’s choice. Do you think that he can turn all this frustration into a driving force?
“I have no doubt his speed and talent. If he will fight for the title? It will depend more on Aprilia than on him. If they build a more competitive bike, Jorge will definitely fight for the title, otherwise it is not possible to fight versus the two Ducatis if the bike is not there. At this moment Aprilia needs to improve its reliability and to become a more complete bike.”
How do you see the 2024 title fight?
“Bagnaia is leading with 10 points of advantage on Martín. It’s tough for Jorge now because Pecco is at the peak of his form.”
Lorenzo says Martín’s future success is up to Aprilia, not his will to win and skill as a rider. (MotoGP/)
Pedro Acosta is the surprise of 2024. How do you see him?
“I like him a lot. He has the charisma of Casey Stoner and Rossi, and Márquez’s self-confidence and ambition. He distinguishes himself for his preparation, the thousands of hours he has spent on the bike since he was a child. I would just advise him to be careful with the crashes.”
