Jorge Lorenzo said that a misunderstanding in his pit and a decision to not change his front tyre before his final qualifying run cost him the chance to land yet another MotoGP pole position at the Red Bull Ring.
The Spaniard was only one of two riders to go with the three run strategy and after a miscalculation over how much time there was left in the session, Lorenzo and his team didn’t fit a new front soft tyre, instead keeping the same one.
“We all knew that the three of us [Marquez and Dovizioso] would be close for the pole position and it was like that. We are just one tenth apart,” said Lorenzo.
“Probably at the end we had enough time to put in a new soft tyre that I always prefer to be a little bit faster, but there was a little but of misunderstanding in the garage and we didn’t put it in. So this probably avoids us for fighting a little bit more for the pole.
“Anyway the important thing is to be on the first row, to have a good start tomorrow, to have a good pace. We have plenty of time to understand the tyres, the setting and the pace so I think we are ready to fight until the end like in Brno.”
After free practice Lorenzo said that he was lacking confident in the third sector, which is made up of the left-handed corners. As well as lacking confidence, the left-handers are a strength of Marquez and helped the Honda rider to pole position. The factory Ducati rider admitted he was stronger but there’s still scope to improve.
“In FP4 I improved a little bit in the sector, but unfortunately in there we’re still missing something so I don’t think it’s about the setting or the bike. I think it’s more about my riding style,” he said.
“So I am going to try and study a little bit with the video and see if I can do something for tomorrow. Anyway I think in the warm up we are going to try something that can improve a little bit the braking so hopefully we can find some more tenths.”
Last weekend saw a very different race from Lorenzo. A man who usually has his best races when he can escape at the front and ride his own race, last week saw the opposite with the Ducati rider fighting through to fight for the victory. When asked how he would approach this weekend, Lorenzo said: “It wasn’t so bad the last strategy in Brno, so it depends. I will study a little bit this afternoon and then decide the best one for me.”