Lorenzo surprised by rapid return to form

The Yamaha rider has won each of the last three races at Jerez, Le Mans and Mugello in dominant fashion, closing the gap to teammate Valentino Rossi in the championship from 29 points to just six.

Having struggled to match the seven-time champion in the opening rounds, the Spaniard admitted after his Mugello victory that he could never have envisaged a revival of such proportions.

“In my career I’ve had a lot of surprises, but this time the surprise is very big,” said Lorenzo.

“We were so far from winning in Argentina and we had gone three races without a podium, so to go from that to three wins in a row is something I didn’t expect.

“I never stopped believing in myself. Even when things were difficult, I believed I could still demonstrate my potential.”

"The other factories won't fall asleep"

Lorenzo nonetheless added he is taking nothing for granted despite his imperious recent form, warning that Yamaha cannot afford to rest on its laurels as Honda and Ducati strive to close the gap in performance.

“Today MotoGP is so close. There are six riders with options to win races, and anything can happen,” said the 28-year-old.

“We have to keep our feet on the ground, not underestimate any rival and keep working.

“The other factories won’t fall asleep, they will arrive at our level for sure.”