Lorenzo engaged pit limiter at start of Argentina race
Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo says the reason he dropped to the back of the field at the start of MotoGP's Argentina Grand Prix was that he accidentally engaged the pit limiter.
After qualifying in 12th for his second race as a Honda rider, Lorenzo plummeted to 21st on the opening lap at Termas de Rio Hondo.
He eventually fought back to finish in 12th place, albeit gaining two places on the last lap when Maverick Vinales and Franco Morbidelli came to blows and crashed out.
As well as revealing the cause for his sluggish getaway, Lorenzo said he was further hampered by a disintegrating rubber grip on his left handlebar during what he described as a "nightmare" race.
"Here with the pit limiter, that looks like I pressed it unconsciously because I remember just pressing the start procedure button," Lorenzo recalled.
"Suddenly the bike, the rpm goes down like [it had] no fuel and I didn't know what was going on, but looks like the button of the pit start was on and the bike didn't go, so everyone overtook me, I was last position again like in Qatar.
"When I started to recover positions, I felt I was missing some rubber in the handlebar in the left, was coming out, out, out and I was with no rubber in my left hand. So no grip at all, everything bad.
"Very difficult race to recover positions, also the track grip was very bad after Moto2 race and with hotter conditions, so it was like a nightmare.
"Hopefully in the future these kinds of strange things and unlucky things will not happen again."
Lorenzo admitted his issues have left him looking like he is making "excuses" for his tough start to life as a Repsol Honda rider.
"I was very happy in the warm-up because we tried something in the bike that improved a lot my feeling and I went three tenths, half a second faster," he continued.
"But in the race with these hotter conditions and the unusual problems, I couldn't get the potential.
"Looks like from the outside that I look for excuses, but it's unbelievable what is happening.
"The only good thing is we finished the race; in Qatar 13th, here 12th. These are very bad positions but we need to look forward, to forget the past and I'm sure sooner or later we will be more lucky."
Additional reporting by Federico Faturos
Jorge Lorenzo, Repsol Honda Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images
Share Or Save This Story
Toyota-backed Sho Tsuboi to make switch from Super Formula to F2
Sho Tsuboi calls for Super Formula engine overhaul as Toyota “can’t properly compete with Honda”
How a Le Mans winner is changing the game for female racing in Japan
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
Honda wildcard Takaaki Nakagami ruled out of Japanese GP after fracture
Fabio Quartararo forced to leave Monster as Red Bull returns to Honda
Somkiat Chantra returns to MotoGP with Honda to replace injured Joan Mir at Japanese GP
Marc Marquez vows to go on "attack" after declaring Pedro Acosta fastest at Japanese GP
"Make all mistakes now" – Why Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar want Red Bull to experiment for 2027
Flavio Briatore moves on from Franco Colapinto crash: 'I was upset but the past is the past'
Alex Rins jokes “I sh*t my pants” as Jack Miller gives him MotoGP taxi ride
How to make two MotoGP grids with a single qualifying session
What we learned from an emotional MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix
Are Aprilia riders making it too easy for Marc Marquez to win the 2026 MotoGP title?
What we learned from MotoGP’s decisive San Marino Grand Prix
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