Jorge Lorenzo said that he was delighted after the opening day of MotoGP free practice in Misano that saw him second fastest, adding an ominous message to the rest of the field, that he can go much faster.
The Spaniard seems to have fully adjusted to the Ducati this year and ended the opening day just a tenth and a half behind his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso as the factory Ducati squad locked out the top two spots on Friday.
“This morning the grip was rather low compared to the tests, and that is probably because of the rain yesterday,” said the Spaniard.
“In the afternoon, the situation improved and with the new tyre, both Dovi and I did very good times for a Friday.
“The most positive thing is the fact that we still have a good margin for improvement in terms of the bike setup. We can take a big step forward.
“The pace with a used tyre was good this afternoon. The race is still a long way off, but we started well.”
Despite sitting 71 points behind Marc Marquez in the World Championship, Lorenzo said his aim each week is to win, and that in turn could bring a different prize at the end of the season.
“As far as I am concerned I will try to be fast and to win, but also to be consistent, finishing on the podium when it isn’t possible to win,” he said when asked about the team standings which sees he and Dovizioso just 28 points behind Honda.
“Dovi is a smart rider that way, so I think we will be able to earn points, also given the slightly negative moment for Dani. If it isn’t possible to win the rider title, it would be nice at least to take the manufacturer title and the team title.”