MotoGP, Ducati and Yamaha anger each other...because of Lorenzo

The slow-drying track at Sepang is not only creating problems for the weekend's Grand Prix. There is a risk that weather conditions could be similar in late November, when Yamaha will return to test with Rossi and Vinales.

But why has Yamaha, in contrast to the other manufacturers, chosen Malaysia for its final 2016 test rather than Jerez like everybody else?

It seems that this comes down to an act of spite by Ducati that, having booked the track for 23 and 24 November has allowed all of its rivals to join them except for the Iwata manufacturers, due to the fact that Yamaha was not prepared to fully release Jorge Lorenzo, who can test at Valencia on 15 and 16 November but not at the subsequent Spanish tests.

"The asphalt not drying quickly could be a problem during winter testing at Sepang - explained Davide Brivio - organising tests so far away and then only managing to ride on one day out of three is not nice".

"The MotoGP is a sport, but also a business - stated Lin Jarvis - We invest a great deal of money and want to see a return on our investments, just as our sponsors do. Dall’Igna has spoken about sportsmanship, but Ducati's aim is not to be sportsmanlike but to be competitive, just as ours is”.

Precisely.