Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo has said the combination of this year’s YZR-M1 and the new spec Bridgestone tyres means he has to ride much harder than previously so is having to work at his fitness.

The former MotoGP world champion, who could only muster fourth today at Jerez, said he used a lot of energy trying to keep up with 34-year-old Valentino Rossi who rode away from the 27-year-old on his birthday and by the time Pedrosa came past, he had gone into preservation mode.

“I am not in tenth place. We are there, we are fighting for second place, for third place. Finally, today we finished fourth but it was not so bad. At this level, if you lack something, it is very difficult to compete with the best riders on the planet,” said Lorenzo, speaking at Jerez.

“Marc was very strong, and the Honda is very strong. The combination make this kind of difference. I don’t feel good with the bike and the tyres but I am getting adapted, we just need to be patient and wait for our moment.

“I put in all my effort to keep the wheel of Valentino, struggling a lot and getting tired early laps. When Dani passed me, I needed to push more physically and push more past my limits to keep the wheel of Dani but I decide to finish the race, don’t crash just to get some points.

“I am stronger than Dani at Qatar and Austin but I need some hours of training to get fit. The combination of the bike of this year and the tyre make my riding more hard so I need to be fitter and stronger than last year to keep the same level. Yamaha know they must make something to improve, especially in braking.”