Factory Ducati rider Jorge Lorenzo said that he is still struggling with the wrist injury he sustained in Thailand ahead of the final MotoGP race of the season at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia.

The Spaniard had hoped to be a lot closer to full fitness this weekend after sitting out of all four flyaway races after sustaining the wrist injury. Despite the heavy rain, Lorenzo went out on track today to test his wrist, only to end nineteenth fastest, two seconds off of Danilo Petrucci’s fastest lap.

“Honestly it’s a little bit worse than I expected yesterday,” said the Ducati man.

“It's not the same as normal life, where you don't feel so much pain, even if I don't have full mobility.

“But another thing is the pressure, the heaviness of the MotoGP bike, especially on braking. It's a lot, and still the injury is not healed completely. I'm much better than in Sepang, and the rain probably helped me, because on the rain you have more or less half of the pressure you got on the dry.

“But for the negative part is it’s easier to crash.”

2019 sees Lorenzo move over to partner Marc Marquez in the factory Honda team. Ducati have given Lorenzo permission to test the RC213V on Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite some thinking Lorenzo is thinking about the bigger picture and preparing himself for the Honda days, Lorenzo insists he’s thinking about only his health.

“I'm worried about myself, about my physical condition,” he said.

“I know the injuries aren't healed completely. If in normal conditions you go into the rain, you’re much more careful than on the dry because you don't want to crash.

“It doesn't depend if it's the last race with Ducati. This is a subconscious thing.”