The signing of Jorge Lorenzo by Honda was the bet of the year. However, this was the result of a number of factors that left # 99 a step closer to being left out of the Borgo Panigale factory.

Asked about the uncertainty he experienced weeks before Mugello, Lorenzo says he does not understand the Ducati attitude when decided to hire a rider who did not win a single race throughout his MotoGP career.

‘I was surprised. Due to the poor results of a year and three months, Ducati forgot about what it had achieved in the past and decided to change me, even with the possibility of paying me much less, for riders who are good but who have not yet won any MotoGP race. For example, Petrucci’, said the rider in an interview with El País.

Lorenzo went further and said Petrucci’s hiring gave him the strength to win more than a race with Ducati:

– For example, Petrucci. I won 44 [races] and three World Championships. I do not understand why they did not have the patience, I was showing them that they could lead races, as well as the speed they had because they had already achieved a historic feat in Sepang. I do not understand why they did not insist a little because I am a rider who wins races and championships – or at least I fight for them – when I have the bike to my liking. It made me think, ‘Now I’m going to do it harder.’