MotoGP: Jorge Lorenzo “We need to improve in acceleration, with Rossi the relationship has improved”

Jorge Lorenzo spoke after the Sepang tests in an interview with Mela Chércoles, of AS. The reigning world champion answered questions about the new bike, Pedrosa, Rossi and Marquez. He also spoke about the seamless gearbox that Yamaha has not yet tried and the "renewed" relationship with Valentino Rossi. Here are some passages from the interview.

“On the last day of testing Pedrosa set an excellent time, but that's not all that matters, it's about getting the bike sorted out and being ready for the championship. As for the seamless gearbox (which Honda and Ducati already use), we haven't tried it yet and the engineers haven't given us any dates on its possible debut. From what they say, if it works it should give around 2 tenths per lap.”

Lorenzo then spoke about the new YZR-M1. “The bike has improved compared to last year. We still lose in acceleration, this is the point to improve, while in cornering and braking we are on par with the others."

We then moved on to the Valentino Rossi chapter, which the Majorcan finds himself back in the team after the Pesaro native's two years with Ducati. “The relationship has changed for the better, because we are 'older' than before. When I arrived at Yamaha I was practically a child (I was 20 years old) and now we see things differently. We remain two very competitive riders and we both want to win, but we know that if we both work in the same direction we will benefit."

The Majorcan then passed to Marc Marquez, the new one advancing to MotoGP. “I'm not surprised by his speed because everyone who understands motorcycles knows that Marquez is a great rider and that he has everything to be successful in MotoGP. The truth is that he has been fast since the first day he got on the Honda and in this test he was even faster than the tests he carried out in November. He can fight for the championship and in this test he proved it."

The two-time MotoGP world champion then confirmed that Yamaha will be in Austin from 12 to 14 March for tests together with Honda and perhaps Ducati. “I want to ride on that circuit. From what I saw on television, the first part of Formula 1 is spectacular, it looks like an incredible circuit. We'll see how it will be for us."