Over the two days of testing that took place at Valencia, two days after the end of the 2016 season, Lorenzo looked very comfortable on the Desmosedici, despite Ducati openly admitting that they were expecting the Spaniard to set a faster time.

On the first day, Lorenzo finished third, a tenth off pacesetter Maverick Vinales, while on the second he was eighth, seven tenths slower than the man who is taking his ride at Yamaha.

Besides the hype of seeing the #99 on the Ducati, a lot of people were eager to see how a rider with such a smooth style would work on a bike that has historically proven difficult to ride.

And the end result was that, in Lorenzo's hands, the bike appeared to be a different one, something that confirmed what the Majorcan thought: that he was capable of going fast without being unfaithful to his DNA.

"I was convinced that I wasn't going to change my style despite riding a Ducati, and it won't change," Lorenzo told Motorsport.com.

"I may modify some small details and evolve, but the bike will not make me change my style.

"I knew I would adapt to the Ducati, regardless of the bike I'd find. I knew I would adapt quickly to it, but I didn't know how fast.

"I knew that I would be relatively fast and that I would be comfortable, and so I was."

"Stoner didn't get tired"

2017 will be a year of change for Lorenzo, who apart from having a new bike will have a new physical trainer, after he and Marc Rovira decided to go separate ways.

But the Spaniard believes that increasing his muscle volume will not be as necessary as people expect, especially as the last man to win a MotoGP title for Ducati, Casey Stoner, was smaller physically.

"Stoner was shorter and thinner than me, with less muscle mass, and the bike was moving all over the place," said Lorenzo. "He wasn't getting tired and he could keep a consistent fast pace until the end.

"In the end it depends on the character and the riding style."