Lorenzo talks Marquez, Rossi, Pedrosa…

During his popular appearance on BT Sport's MotoGP season review, Jorge Lorenzo spoke about becoming team-mate to reigning champion Marc Marquez at Honda in 2019, why he was so impressed by Valentino Rossi at Sepang this year and the retirement of long-time rival Dani Pedrosa.

"Five MotoGP championships and he won in his first season, so the talent is huge," Lorenzo said of Marquez: "But not only the talent, also the hard work, the ambition.

"He is the rider with the least fear of crashing and this can be a huge advantage, but also a weakness in some points. He's just an amazing rider, an amazing sportsman.

"Also I believe in myself, obviously, and I go there to try to compete with him. I'm not going there just to ride, but obviously he's an unbelievable rider."

When Suzi Perry pointed out that Lorenzo is the only person to have beaten Marquez to a MotoGP title, in 2015, he responded:

"Well, it could also have been Valentino that year, but finally I was lucky enough to win it. I think I was the fastest and finally I won, by a few points.

"So, as you said, I am the only rider to take away a championship from Marc. But this doesn't mean it cannot happen again! I'm going to fight every day, train hard and do my best to try to get my sixth championship. But for sure it's not going to be easy."

Still under contract with Ducati until December 31st, Lorenzo is not able to say the 'H' word (Honda) or speak about his new bike and team.

However the Spaniard did confirm he will keep his trademark smooth riding style with his 'new bike'.

"I must change at least slightly my riding style, because every bike asks for a different kind of riding," he said. "But the 'basics' of my riding style is not going to change. Marc is not going to change, or Valentino is not going to change, because you have your basics and you keep riding like that.

"I'll be smooth with whatever bike you put me on! With the Yamaha I was smooth, with the Ducati and also with my new bike."

Lorenzo also expects that he and Marquez - who between them have claimed every MotoGP title since 2012 and all but one (Casey Stoner) since 2010 - will learn something from each other.

"I have a lot of things to learn from Marc, because it will be his seventh year in the team and just my first year, so for sure he has much more experience with that bike.

"But I'm sure that also he will learn - maybe less things from me than I will from him - but also he will learn something from me because we are two champions, two great riders and very fast."

Lorenzo began his career alongside another great champion, at Yamaha; Valentino Rossi. The pair spent a total of seven years together, interrupted by Rossi's two-year move to Ducati and ending with Lorenzo's own switch to the Italian factory for 2017.

Their relationship was often frosty, albeit with increasing mutual respect for the other's riding talent. Most recently, Lorenzo tweeted his admiration for Rossi's performance at Sepang this year, where the Italian led for 16 laps before falling.

"I just wrote the truth," said Lorenzo, who missed the Malaysian race due to injury. "I thought it was just ten laps because I went away from the track because of the traffic just before the finish, but later I understood that he did 15 laps within just one tenth, so it was even more impressive.

"What he did in that race really shocked me and impressed me a lot, because as I wrote I'd never seen him so consistent. 15 laps in just one tenth on a track that is two minutes in almost 40-degrees heat is unbelievable, no?

"The precision, the accuracy and concentration. I don’t know if I could get this regularity and this consistency, just one tenth in 15 laps. Maybe I could get close, but I think he would beat me in that race so it was very impressive and I just wrote the truth, as I do with Marc if he wins a championship or other riders."

Lorenzo's arrival at Honda means Pedrosa loses his seat and, having turned down the chance to remain in MotoGP with Sepang Yamaha, retired from racing at the Valencia season finale...