“It was difficult, I’m disappointed and frustrated because I wanted to be here in a better condition.” That’s how Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) began to reflect on his opening day at the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix, which unfortunately didn’t go according to plan for the five-time World Champion.
A lot eyes on @lorenzo99 as he makes his return to action after missing the last three races ????#MalaysianGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/GPZQ3Xik1t
— MotoGP™???????????? (@MotoGP) November 2, 2018
Lorenzo was declared fit to ride on Thursday but after returning to action just nine days after undergoing surgery on his injured left wrist, the going was always going to be tough. The Spaniard knew the pain he would be in, but didn’t know he’d be over three seconds off the quickest time:
“The pain I feel is normal because this kind of injury needs three weeks of mobility and I just took the cast off two days ago, seven days after the operation, so it’s normal to have this kind of pain and discomfort,” explained the number 99 rider. He continued: “Like this is very difficult to be competitive. I tried to push, but even if I push I can only go three or four seconds slower than the fastest one.”
During both Free Practice sessions, we saw Ducati trying different things on the bike to see if that could help improve his feeling. But did it help? “Nothing on the bike has helped, just painkillers and anti-inflammatories,” affirmed Lorenzo.
So, what now? “Let’s see what we can do and if the clinca mobile can help me to be better tomorrow, with hours of resting in bed… If you can win a race, get a podium or Top 10, then it makes sense to take a risk. If you push and you can only go 3 seconds slower than the fastest one, it doesn’t make too much sense to much.
“Tomorrow we’ll make the decision of whether to go ahead or give the bike to Michele Pirro.”
That decision can be expected before MotoGP™ FP3.