Three-time MotoGP champ Jorge Lorenzo has admitted he was too slow in some areas of the Qatar circuit in last night’s race and is not prepared enough to challenge for wins as team-mate Andrea Dovizioso scrapped it out for the lead with winner Maverick Vinales.

Lorenzo started well from 12th place but ran wide at turn fiour and that seemed to put paid to any kind of challenge, even with the soft rear tyre both he and Dovizioso had opted for.
 
“The start was very good, I was behind Pedrosa and Valentino. Probably without this in the fourth corner I could stay with them at the beginning, until the middle of the race,” said Lorenzo, speaking at the track.

“For sure I was not able to keep the same pace all the race, because when I started dropping the rear, I was not able to stay in the 1’56s. At the beginning, I struggled so much to stay in the 1’56s - I was in 58s, 57s - but little by little with warmer tyres I was going to this time.

“I did five or six laps in this lap time, very close and almost faster than the top guys. But in a lot of moments, I was too slow to finish closer.

“Conditions don’t help, but to be honest I’m still not prepared to fight for something big. Disappointing for sure, this was not the dream debut. Circumstances didn't help this time and it was not the ideal conditions to make a debut.”