Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo benefitted from the attrition rate in yesterday’s Le Mans MotoGP with a sixth-place finish and says there are only a couple of key areas in which the Desmodedici needs to improve.

The three-time champion rolled across the line 24 seconds after winner Maverick Vinales from 16th on the grid and was 13s behind team-mate Andrea Dovizioso. Lorenzo made some big setup changes after warm up yesterday morning as settings from the Jerez test didn’t work at the French track.

“After Jerez, I was feeling curious to see how the bike reacts to this track, a positive track for Ducati in the last few years without the wings. To be honest the setting that worked in Jerez didn't work here yesterday in dry conditions, we had too much wheelie,” said Lorenzo, speaking at the track.

“From warm-up we had to change the bike to avoid wheelie and change the set-up. For this reason we needed much more time. Just 40 minutes of dry conditions was not enough for me to get into the maximum I could achieve with this track and this bike.

“We finished sixth with a constant pace, even if I finished 24 seconds from the top guys, we saved a difficult situation. I'm satisfied in general, but of course I want to be much faster.

“The team is working unbelievable, they know what I need and we are getting that. I'm getting more used to the bike, I'm playing more with the bike every time; we just need to improve one or two big points that for me are quite big to stay there with the top guys.”