Lorenzo on Honda: It suits me better than Ducati

Jorge Lorenzo speaks for the first time as an official Repsol Honda rider and reveals his first feelings riding the RC213V and how it suits him better than Ducati.

The five-time world champion made headlines in 2018 by switching from Ducati to the factory Honda squad, replacing Dani Pedrosa, to join alongside reigning champion Marc Marquez.

While Lorenzo was permitted to join Honda for both post-season tests at Valencia and Jerez in November, he was banned from talking to the media as a Honda rider due to his ongoing contract. But with 2019 arriving and his Ducati deal concluding, Lorenzo is officially a Repsol Honda rider.

The team has released a video with the Spaniard where he shares his first reaction to the Honda MotoGP machine and his adaption to both the bike and the team from Ducati.

“Last season I rode a completely different bike, that was very big and very tall,” Lorenzo said. “Maybe it was a little too big for me. The Honda suits me better in terms of its dimensions. It is more compact, a smaller and lower bike, with which I can lean over better.

“I felt a little more confident when entering corners, because the closer you are to the ground, the more confidence you have. The first impression was positive and I saw a lot of potential there.

“In those moments your expression speaks for itself. It’s all very exciting, very new and enjoyable. Also, if the initial feeling is good, you can tell even more from your expression.”

At his second test with Honda in Jerez, Lorenzo gained a number of modifications to his RC213V compared to his debut at Valencia including a grippy fuel tank – a similar device he credited for his breakthrough maiden win with Ducati which came at last year’s Italian MotoGP.

“One of the things that impressed me most was the ability of the Repsol Honda Team to react, providing what you ask for,” he said. “I was quite clear, Honda took note of all my indications and within a few days they had everything ready and we had a fuel tank almost one hundred percent to my liking.”

On joining the most successful MotoGP team, with 15 riders’ world championships to its name following Marquez’s 2018 triumph, Lorenzo feels he has arrived at one of the biggest teams in the world and is relishing the opportunity ahead of him.

“Repsol Honda may be the most successful team in history,” he said. “They have the most victories and titles.

“To compare them with a football team, they would be a Barcelona or a Real Madrid. There is no team with more titles and more importance worldwide than this one.”

Lorenzo joins Marquez and his new Repsol Honda squad for the team's official 2019 launch in Madrid on January 23 before the first test of the new year at Sepang between February 1-3.