Jorge Lorenzo SLAMMED by Ducati chief ahead of new MotoGP season | MotoGP news results drivers race and qualifying MotoGP latest - Daily Star

Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso partnered one another at Ducati last season but the pair did not always see eye to eye with their spats spilling out publicly.

This season Danilo Petrucci replaces Lorenzo, who will race for Honda this year, and it seems the Italian has already struck up a good relationship with Dovizioso

Dovizioso will be tasked with leading Ducati’s title charge this time around while they’ll hope Petrucci can play his part himself by becoming a regular top-five finisher.

And speaking ahead of next month’s opener in Qatar, Ciabatti seemingly took aim at Lorenzo’s risky strategy last year, citing Misano as an example.

“If you are second on the last lap and the one in front is your teammate, it does not make sense to risk a crash. Those kinds of situations are what we want to avoid.”
Paolo Ciabatti

Lorenzo crashed out of second place in a bid to deny Dovizioso victory and Ciabatti is hoping he won’t have to deal with such issues this season.

“We know that this is an individual sport, but we prefer that the riders have the company's interests clear in their minds as well as their own," Ciabatti told Motorsport.com.

"Last year Lorenzo won at Mugello and Dovi finished second. It would have been fantastic to achieve a one-two also in Misano, but Jorge fell when he chased Andrea because he wanted to get one over him.

"If you are second on the last lap and the one in front is your teammate, it does not make sense to risk a crash. Those kinds of situations are what we want to avoid. Marc [Marquez] took advantage of it."

He added: "It is not a criticism of Jorge, I know him very well, we get along very well and, besides, at that moment he already knew that he was not going to continue with us.

"But I think the two current Ducati riders are very clear about the approach we like. When one of them is faster, it will be important that he can get away without the other impeding him."

Meanwhile, five-time world champions Lorenzo is looking to begin his 12th Moto GP season and concedes results will decide his fate but his “intention” is to call it quits at Honda.

“I won't say that I'd like to finish my career with Honda, but maybe it is my last team. The results will decide, but that is my intention,” said the 31-year-old.

“I never gave up, even in the difficult times I always kept working, I had this chance with Honda, which allowed for a happy ending to the (2018) season.

“I don't think about Ducati anymore.

“I know that when I like the bike and we put it in the right place, we can reach the top.”

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