Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo admits he got ‘lucky’ with the tyre situation as he collected his second victory of the season at the French Grand Prix.
Lorenzo took the lead at the start and was ultimately never headed but feared during the early stages of the race that he would be unable to maintain his pace.
“Before the race I was a little bit worried about the front tyre on the right side, because it was close in some corners,” he said.
“Sometimes that’s worse in the race on Sunday, because it’s hotter at two o’clock and you have more fuel in the tank and push more on braking. On the third or fourth lap it started closing, and I started worrying that I had an ever worsening tyre in the next laps, but luckily for us the tyre stayed more or less the same.
“It was close in the whole race, but not becoming worse. I was pushing the whole time and when the fuel tank ran low I pushed a little bit less. So this time we have been lucky. I know that other riders also struggled with the front. I could improve in some areas because I lose out in some corners.”
Lorenzo’s win enabled him to move to within 15 points of team-mate Valentino Rossi in the standings, but Lorenzo emphasised that he is not getting carried away with his current form.
“Winning two races in a row after finishing outside of the podium in three Grands Prix is a big contrast,” he said.
“These are much better results, but you have to keep your feet on the ground and not hesitate, because things can change very quickly and I can have bad results in the future.”
