Jorge Lorenzo disappointed with fourth

Jorge Lorenzo said his hopes of a top three finish in the MotoGP world championship were all but over after he slumped to a disappointing fourth in Phillip Island today.

The Fiat Yamaha rider never found his true form despite a promising start that saw him seize third from British rider James Toseland on lap three.

Tosland reclaimed third on lap five and Lorenzo was then sucked into a titanic battle with the Tech 3 Yamaha rider, Andrea Dovizioso and Shinya Nakano for much of the race.

As the race wore on, Lorenzo steadily started to show glimpses of the form that carried him to a front row grid position and he moved into fourth by Toseland on lap 25.

But the Spaniard was far from happy and he said: “I’m not very happy with the race because I know I should have been able to fight for the podium today. I didn’t ride like I know I can, Toseland was in front of me many times and I couldn’t pass him, and then I couldn’t follow Valentino when he came through.

“I think I had the rhythm to have been with Valentino but it didn’t work today. Even though it’s mathematically still possible, I think that the second and third places in the championship are probably lost to me now. I think that the most important thing now is to get good results in Malaysia and Valencia so that we finish the season in the right way.

“The team, the tyres and the bike are all working well, we’re getting good results but we know they can be better. I like Malaysia a lot, I rode there in the winter and I think it will be good for Michelin, so I’m looking forward to it.”