Lorenzo: I feel more power, recovery better

A qualifying position of 19^th may not show as much, but Jorge Lorenzo insisted his recovery to full fitness is coming along with the Majorcan feeling minor improvements each day.

Lorenzo pointed to his ability to do ten consecutive laps in FP1 as a sign that he is gradually recuperating from the two fractured vertebra that put him out of three races during the midseason.

“It’s difficult from outside to feel improvements,” he said. “You see the position, no? I can see maybe not very big improvements, but small improvements compared to the last races. For example in FP1 I could do ten laps in a row.

“Compared to the other races I couldn’t do that because physically I was worse. For sure tomorrow in the race I will physically be better. This will help drop the pace.

“I think we are working to not lose so much grip using a more common setting that the rest of the Honda riders are using. This won’t lose so much grip on the rear tyre even if this creates more problems with the front stability, where I’m suffering now.

“Tomorrow I hope to make a good start and have a constant pace that will give me the possibility to improve the final result of the race in seconds and, if possible, in positions.

“The pain is still there but every time I feel better in general. I feel more power. Physically I feel the recovery after practice is better. But it’s the slowest recovery that I ever had in my career.

“It’s very slow. I’m not perfect. The muscles and ligaments of the injury get into a good position naturally. Little by little this will happen. It’s very slow. Very slow. I’m not perfect. I will be better tomorrow than in Aragon so I hope that this gives me a better result to reduce the difference with the winner.”

Have his doctors indicated how much time is required to recover to 100 percent fitness from his current injury?

“No,” he said. “The doctors said the injury is healed and that I will feel some pain. Speaking with people that have the same injury, they say it’s a long process that can take six or seven months.

“I don’t know if I will feel some small discomfort in the future. I hope not. But it’s a very long injury. But I repeat: I feel better every week and I can ride better on the bike.

“I just need to keep waiting for more improvement in the physical condition and try and not give up in the search to find something on the bike that gives me some more confidence to be more competitive.”