MotoGP title worrier Jorge Lorenzo believes he and his Movistar Yamaha team are moving closer to perfection with the setup of the YZR-M1 and that, in dry conditions, he is riding better than ever.

The inch-perfect Mallorcan couldn’t quite match Marc Marquez for outright pace in qualifying today but finds himself just over a tenth behind his compatriot and has the race pace to disappear from turn one.

“We are working very well every time better and better. We know more details how to improve the bike. We are moving closer to perfection. In this track especially every time we go out we improve a little bit in some corners. Especially in the free practice four in the last run I was very happy, very proud of my pace. The bike was working very, very good and I was riding very concentrate and very precise. Looks like tomorrow we will have a good setup but you never know. In the race it’s always difficult understand what can happen. But looks like we can have a good pace and a good race,” said Lorenzo, speaking at the track.

“I’m really pleased. Very happy, very proud of how we are managing the weekend. On the box and on the track. I feel that we are in the box more and also I am riding very well. So to be able to be in 46, 47 with our bike that’s improve a lot during the last year, compared to last year. But especially in this track is always difficult for us. Make me very proud, of our speed, our pace. And in this case the fast lap on the pole position.

“Always really difficult to fight with Marc for the pole position because as I always say the Honda is very explosive and together with Marc is explosive, aggressive and very quick. Always you have to have a little bit of luck and to ride almost like perfection to beat him. Today I tried. It was not enough in my second try so I tried in the third one to push a little bit more, but the front was not new so in some braking, especially in 11, I lose probably two tenths even with a very fast last sector, didn’t give me the pole position.”