Lorenzo: ‘I had two opportunities to return to Ducati, didn’t feel the desire’
The three-time MotoGP champion spent two seasons at the factory Ducati team alongside Andrea Dovizioso, finishing seventh and ninth in both campaigns.
While his first season with Ducati proved challenging, Lorenzo took three victories in 2018 as he became a constant threat to the likes of Dovizioso and eventual champion Marc Marquez.
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However, just as Lorenzo began enjoying success with Ducati a switch to Honda was announced for 2019 which did not work out.
Lorenzo failed to record a top ten finish in any of the races he competed in, while he suffered a second injury in two seasons that resulted in him missing time.
Still, Lorenzo’s ability as a rider and as a rider aboard the Ducati made him of interest to the Italian manufacturer in both 2020 and 2021.
But happily retired, Lorenzo chose not to return to MotoGP action. Speaking to GPOne.com, Lorenzo said of Ducati’s renewed interest: "For both 2020 and 2021, I had two opportunities to return to Ducati.
"But at the last moment I didn’t feel that passion or desire to sign.
"Sometimes you have to know when to stop. This is a risky sport when you can hurt yourself. I didn’t want to take risks because I didn’t feel the need to race anymore."
A key member of the Ducati set-up who Lorenzo always remained in favour of was the genius Gigi Dall’Igna.
The Ducati Corse General Manager was a major reason for Ducati wanting Lorenzo’s return and although it never became a reality, the Spaniard had strong praise for Dall’Igna.
Lorenzo added: "For sure that if, in 2017, I would’ve had the Ducati they have today, my results would have been much better. When Gigi arrived in 2014, step-by-step and through attempts and mistakes, he managed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, both from a technical and rider’s point of view, so that there can be many competitive bikes and, at the moment, they are unstoppable."
