Jorge Lorenzo is certainly not one of those riders who gets bored after hanging up his helmet. He has a thousand interests, makes a lot of investments, runs a podcast, and enjoys life all around. He has always had the virtue and perhaps at the same time the defect of saying exactly what he thought without filters, and this gift is also helping him a lot to establish himself as a man who is able to tell with a particularly critical and competent eye the MotoGP of today.
Our dean Paolo Scalera interviewed him at Misano, talking with Jorge about many topics. This is an excerpt of the full interview which you can enjoy on YouTube, maybe soon Lorenzo will also be on our Sports Bar and we will be on his Dura la Vita Podcast !
You raced one year in Marc Marquez's team. Did you expect him to be so competitive again?
"I expected it to be more difficult. I had no idea the real difference between the Ducati 2023 bike and the 2024 bike that Marc didn't ride. This year we could see that really there was a lot of difference and Marc is another level. We used to see Bagnaia and Martìn fighting at the front and we didn't understand, but Dall'Igna saw the data and knew very well what to choose."
How do you mentally experience a season when you have already won the world championship and there are more races left?
"On one hand you tend to relax and maybe have less hunger, on the other hand you can ride freer, without the pressure, have fun and push harder. You have to balance the hunger for victory and the control not to overdo it and crash."
Did your arrival in Ducati accelerate the development of the bike?
"I did the bulk of the work in Ducati, showing that the way forward was the right way. I won three races in a row, and that accelerated the process of exploring ways to make the bike easier and more rideable for all riders."
How has the Ducati changed from your days?
"Before, it was impossible to lean the bike for long, you had to straighten it right away. Now Ducatis are as rideable as a Moto2, you can lean a lot and the rider has more freedom in riding."
You also rode the Honda. Was it more difficult to ride?
"Yes, and I was never at 100 percent because of injuries. Marc, on the other hand, had experience from 2013 and he pretty much tailor-made the bike for him. Despite everything, the Honda was not bad, but the corners were more complicated and I had less experience on that bike."
How do you see the comparison between Marc Marquez and other riders like Pecco Bagnaia and Martín?
"Marc is the best right now. Pecco and Martín are strong and can compete, but Marc remains another level. In the future there will be new phenomena, but today no one can really catch up with him."
Anything you want to add about your podcast?
"I invite you to follow my podcast 'Dura la vita,' now also in Italian. We talk about motorcycles, trivia and life, and we continue to have fun with life and chats about the racing world."