Parallel roads, which could also intersect each other. We are obviously talking about Johann Zarco and Jorge Lorenzo. If the ambitions of the French rider on the KTM have not been met, the same applies to the rider from Mallorca with Honda.

This is precisely what everyone pressed n.99 about at the post qualifying conference on Saturday.

"I think Johann suffered a lot changing from a simple bike, like the Yamaha, to a complicated one like the KTM. Finding an easy bike like the M1 in the paddock isn't simple. This situation made him lose his motivation and good spirits, and I think it was brave of him to terminate his contract. It's true that in the last race he was close to Pol, but he made that decision, and this means that he wasn't happy with what he was experiencing. Besides that, I don't know if it's a smart choice or not.

After all, Lorenzo doesn't hide behind an excuse regarding his relationship with Honda.

"I'm suffering a lot. It's not a simple situation. I'm obviously less happy than when I won races with Yamaha, or compared to when I was racing with Ducati, but I'm a competitive rider who fights to find solutions with his bike. Like I said, I want to stay with Honda."

Then his attention shifts to the qualifying sessions.

"My position on the grid (20th) is not fantastic, but my sensations on the bike are better. In fact, I was able to be consistent with the Honda, and this is important for me. The situation is not that bad. In qualifying, I managed to be fast with the first tire, while I was slower with the medium, without being able to take that step forward that I expected. I believe the soft is the right choice for the race."

Meanwhile Marc continues to lay down the law up ahead.

"We're obviously really far from Marc right now and from the group of fastest riders, but I still can't do more than that. I feel bad, but I don't want to create false expectations. Compared to Misano, I managed to be fast and constant in the FP4, so I think we're on the right track."

The last thing he mentioned was the team's support.

"The results are worse than what people expected, but I feel really supported, with due patience, without demanding immediate results."

Audio recorded by Paolo Scalera