Ezpeleta tips Lorenzo to fight for 2018 MotoGP title
Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta believes that Jorge Lorenzo will fight for the 2018 MotoGP title, saying the Spaniard will continue his steady progress on the Ducati bike.
During his maiden campaign with Ducati, Lorenzo has struggled to adapt to a new bike after nine years on the Yamaha.
The Spaniard's best results so far are two third places at Jerez and Aragon, and he is currently seventh in the standings, meaning he is on course for what will statistically be his least successful campaign in MotoGP yet.
However, Lorenzo has been consistently edging closer to the frontrunners in recent races, boosted by a new aerodynamic fairing introduced at Brno, and has spent more and more time in the lead.
After spells out front at both the Red Bull Ring at Misano, the 30-year-old held first place for 15 laps at Aragon last time out before dropping behind Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa.
Ezpeleta says that while Lorenzo still needs time to reach his maximum potential at Ducati, he expects the three-time MotoGP champion to be able to fight for the title next year.
"I believe Jorge will be in the fight for the championship next year," he told Motorsport.com.
"There is no doubt that within Ducati everyone is happy to have him. I think Lorenzo is improving, he has been leading in some races for many laps.
"It's true that he still needs to understand better the Ducati and the tyres, but Jorge is doing it step-by-step."
Translation by Irene Aneas
Share Or Save This Story
The messages behind Marc Marquez's shock shoulder recovery photo
Gigi Dall’Igna: “The title will be won by whoever keeps the coolest head"
How Trackhouse is preparing for the post-Davide Brivio era
Jorge Lorenzo: Marc Marquez less explosive now, but smarter than ever
Maverick Vinales and Jorge Lorenzo's partnership cools down after early enthusiasm
How Jorge Lorenzo is pushing Maverick Vinales beyond his limits in MotoGP
Marc Marquez: MotoGP rivals gave me a “present” - and it tastes “sweet”
Why Misano could deliver the closest Ducati-Aprilia fight of MotoGP 2026
Why Ducati has no doubts about Marc Marquez’s future
Romain Grosjean apologises to McLaren after controversial, unfounded comments
Marc Marquez was “playing with us” in San Marino GP fight, says Alex Marquez
"My race could have been over" – Max Verstappen’s take on first lap incident with Lewis Hamilton
Spanish GP promises Madring track changes following F1 criticism
What we learned from MotoGP’s decisive San Marino Grand Prix
Pedro Acosta may not win a MotoGP race on a KTM - and that’s not a failure
Will the 2026 MotoGP title fight boil down to these three riders?
What we learned from an intriguing MotoGP Aragon GP
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments