MotoGP: Lorenzo hits out at rain form critics

Jorge Lorenzo has hit out at critics who say he can’t ride in the rain, after taking a strong third place in wet conditions during Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix.

Lorenzo has admittedly had a hard time so far this season finding confidence in the rain with Michelin’s new tyres, but seems to have found his form again at the weekend after a combination of high track temperatures and high grip on the newly-resurfaced Sepang track let him find the front grip he’s been missing all year.

However the five-time world champion hit out at critics after the race who had called him damaged goods, claiming that fans of the sport are often too quick to dismiss riders after only a short run of bad form.

“I don’t think it’s true that I’ve never been competitive in the rain. Probably this year with the Michelins I’ve struggled a lot, especially in the first two races to find some confidence in the wet. But in the past on Bridgestones, I won races, took pole positions and finished on the podium in the rain. I just needed confidence, and when you don’t have confidence it’s complicated to be fast.

“But it looks like in this sport your value is just in your last race, especially with me! People like to take profit when things aren’t good or when I’ve had a bad race. When I win or have a good result, these people to speak out never have much to say.

“That’s the way the sport is, though, and I can’t control people’s opinions. But like I’ve said before, when a rider doesn’t have confidence it’s very easy to be slow, but when you have it, like I’ve demonstrated in the past, you can be very fast in all conditions.”