Jorge Lorenzo “didn’t accept” Marc Marquez’s MotoGP riding style
Three-time MotoGP champion talks Ducati and 2025
Jorge Lorenzo says he “didn’t accept” Marc Marquez’s way of racing when he made his MotoGP debut in 2013.
Next year will see Ducati field arguably its strongest factory team line-up ever, with reigning double world champion Francesco Bagnaia joined by Marc Marquez.
Lorenzo and Marquez were intense rivals in the early part of the latter’s MotoGP career, with his riding style at the time upsetting Lorenzo.
Looking ahead to 2025, Lorenzo believes the battle between Marquez and Bagnaia will start equally.
“I think that, for different reasons, it will be a challenge that will start on equal terms,” he said at the Festival dello Sport in Italy.
“In 2013 I didn’t accept his way of racing, which was very aggressive. Now he has a bit more respect towards his rivals.
“It must be said that the rules are stricter than 10 years ago.
“He is a beast on a sporting level. Since 2010, he has had very bad luck in terms of his physical condition.
“Without those problems, he would have won at least two or three more world championships.”
Lorenzo convinced he could have won title with Ducati
The 37-year-old made a switch from Yamaha, with whom he made his MotoGP debut in 2008 and won all of his premier class titles, in 2017 to the factory Ducati squad.
After a lean debut season that resulted in just three podiums, Lorenzo was already announced as leaving Ducati at the end of 2018 just as he came into race winning form on the Desmosedici at that year’s Italian GP.
Lorenzo would win three times on the Ducati before injury curtailed the end of that season, with an ill-fated move to Honda following in 2019, after which he retired from racing.
“Now it is the best bike; it has no weak points,” Lorenzo said.
“We [myself and general manager Gigi Dall’Igna] met in 2004, in my last year in 125cc.
“Fate brought us together at Ducati. I was very sorry not to have won a title with the Italian brand.
“I am convinced that, if I had stayed two more years, we would have won it.”
Lorenzo was replaced by Danilo Petrucci for the 2019 season, who won two grands prix with Ducati across two seasons.
